Through Hollow Eyes
by Tsuki the Wolf
Summary: A companion fic for "Time Marches Forward (Finally)" with scenes from the story seen from Sans's POV. I would recommend reading it first. For obvious reasons. (Queerplatonic Sans/Frisk) (Cover Art courtesy of dogpu on tumblr!)
1. Frisk's Date

**A/N: A couple alternate titles based on follower suggestions: West Sans Story, Pundertale, Sansational, Bone Zone, No Bones About It, Shame, Sansational Sans Story, Life's a Joke, The Seconds In-Between, and the special mention of "What the Fucking Shit is Even Going On"**

* * *

It had originally been a joke.

When Papyrus had first suggested that Sans and Frisk were dating Sans, with all good comedian sense, couldn't resist causing trouble. It was just easy to say that he was dating the kid because frankly they did everything that people dating did do. They even kissed (although they were cheek and forehead kisses but they were still kisses). He already got the feeling that many monsters –thanks to his awesome brother's blog where he writes every interesting thing that happens in his life or his brother's life that he knows of down- assumed that Sans was dating Frisk. Sans himself didn't think it was too far off from being accurate but he and the kid just didn't have that kind of relationship.

So when Papyrus had brought it up, of course Sans had jumped on it and said yes just to watch the chaos. And chaos it was. Asgore shattered his good mug, Alphys had gaped, Papyrus had screamed in joy, Undyne had screamed in confused anger and happiness, and Toriel had just looked straight up shocked. Even Frisk was lost. Sans had barely managed to restrain some very unappealing cackling. Frisk was hard to get a reaction out of on most things. The kid was very good at maintaining a neutral face. The fact that Sans had managed to shock them so much just made him feel like he'd added another medal to his chest.

However the major downside of telling a kid's parents that you're dating them? The fact that said parents are surprisingly protective. Actually, scrap that. Sans really should've realized that this was a bad idea pretty much all around. Frisk was for all sense and purposes a child and Sans? Sans was not a child. In human cultures he would probably be labeled as a paedophile –which he was not. He was not sexually attracted to Frisk at all. Or anyone for that matter. He did not have to deal with that- and probably strung up. Talk about ruining a budding political relationship. The words "Stockholm Syndrome" come to mind.

Toriel had confronted Sans during the Christmas party away from everyone else. And frankly Sans preferred to deal with Tori first because she was his good buddy. Asgore was a great guy but Sans didn't know him nearly as well. Seeing Tori in protective-parent mode was always interesting to see but Sans found he didn't particularly like it directly at him. It insinuated things.

" _Are you dating Frisk or not?"_ _Her question was no-nonsense. So she had picked up on the fact he had been avoiding all of the questions directed at him. For the sake of the joke. But now it looked like he had no choice but give a direct response. He wasn't about to lie to his good friend. There's joking and then there's straight up lying._

" _technically, no."_

 _Tori frowned more confused than angry. "You are joking then?"_

" _i was, yeah."_

" _Was?" She prompted. Sans shrugged. "Sans."_

 _Sans looked off to the side where he could see everyone was watching the Nightmare before Christmas. It would be time head back soon. "figured it may be easier to just say we're dating to anyone who asked." He told her truthfully. "it's not like it's that far off. and s'better then explaining the truth."_

"… _What is the truth, Sans?" Toriel asked gently. She was watching him with sharp eyes, though. Sans was well-aware that Tori wasn't stupid and of course she would notice that something….more….was going on between her kid and Sans. Kids don't usually sneak away from home to sleep with friends when they had parents to run to. They also didn't desperately need another's clothing to fall asleep peacefully in. This wasn't the first time this conversation had been brought up. Both of Frisk's parents had confronted Sans –being the older one- about the nature of his relationship with Frisk. It was only because of good faith that they had so far let him get away with avoiding the truth._

 _He wasn't about to go explaining the fucked-up relationship he had with Frisk now. Not on Christmas. "that we're dating, but no romo." He winked feeling a bit of sweat bead up on the back of his skull. He stretched and wiped it off casually with his sweater sleeve._

 _There was a shine of disappointment and reluctant acceptance in Toriel's eyes. "I see." Sans hated that he felt guilty but he couldn't help it. This lady was a good friend and had known him long enough to sense his moods. She was also a mother who was pretty good for seeing questions being dodged. There had been many days –bad days- that Sans had almost confessed everything he knew about the RESETS and SAVES to her just to get them off of his chest. But that had been back in the Underworld. He had Frisk to unload on._

 _Sometimes, though, he really wished that he could talk to someone who wasn't directly responsible for a majority of his pain._

Sans was on the floor of his house staring up at the ceiling fan lazily spin as he recalled these feelings. He hadn't slept last night after the Christmas party and now it was morning. Papyrus last night had crashed pretty hard after all of the excitement of the day –and the fact that he had snuck out to look for Santa the night before- so he was currently watching the television. He had already tempted Sans to get up from his spot with hugs and food (he really could never hide from his brother when he'd had a sleepless night and that made Papyrus into the biggest fucking mother hen) but Sans had just flopped back down into the same spot. He was hungry if he was honest but he didn't have the motivation to get up and do anything. Was this the fabled "holiday depression" or whatever bullshit humans called it on tv?

He could tell he was avoiding actually thinking about his relationship with Frisk. If he started, he was sure to hate himself. What kind of adult relied on a child emotionally? He must have some kind of mental problem. Maybe he should actually do some research into that one of these days instead of just going online to look up the newest memes and troll CoolSkeleton95. That didn't sound super fun though. Humans had all kinds of crazy terms for crazy people. How would he even research his symptoms? "Numb. Depressed. Has nightmares all of the time. Technically dating the one he has nightmares about. Wants to kill someone but also kill himself sometimes. Doesn't actually want to do either. Emotionally reliant on a child. Fatalistic."?

His phone buzzed and then farted. Papyrus made a disgusted sound. "HOW IMMATURE CAN YOU GET?" He cried. Sans felt vaguely amused. Papyrus hated Sans's text tone.

It took more effort than it was really worth to use his magic to get it to slide across the floor and out from under his pet rock (who had been let out of its cage to explore). When the phone was in his hand he lifted it and clicked it on. There was a message from Frisk.

 **I've been asked on a date.**

Sans stared at the message. Was the kid trying to be funny and mess with him about yesterday? Oh right. Sans hadn't even gotten the chance to explain himself to them yesterday. He should probably clear that up soon. But back to the point. Frisk had been asked on a date? It wasn't unusual since Frisk had technically dated everyone in their group of friends (minus Toriel and Asgore) but to be asked on a date? The only one who had done that was Sans himself.

Despite his dislike of texting for purposes that were not for pranking, he texted back.

 _ **who?**_

 **Lansot.**

Lansot? …Oh, that was the little monster kid with the hero worship of Papyrus. They were a pretty smart kid because his brother was definitely worth following after. Sans also knew that Lansot and Frisk were pretty close friends. Frisk didn't have many friends close to their age. The kid could do a lot worse than the monster kid.

 _ **nice kid. have fun.**_

He dropped his arm and let the phone lull out of his hand. "WHO WAS THAT?" Papyrus asked curiously. Actually now that Sans thought about it, this situation may be really hilarious. Maybe it would help with his ennui and distract him from his thoughts.

"frisk is going on a date." He turned his head to watch his brother gasp.

"REALLY? WITH YOU?"

"nah."

"WHAT? THEN WHO?" Sans shrugged nonchalantly. It wasn't really his problem who Frisk dated. It wasn't like they were married. Or _marrowed_. Did that make sense? That one was good enough. He opened his mouth to let Papyrus hear his new joke but Papyrus was already rushing upstairs. Sans gave up and went back to staring at the ceiling fan when he heard Papyrus talking to someone. Eavesdropping easily he understood that apparently Papyrus was confronting Frisk about the date for Sans's sake. That was nice of him. Sans was glad he had a brother there to guilt-trip any potential suitors into not cheating on him. It was just too bad he was doing this to Frisk.

Papyrus then hung up and ran to the second-story railing, leaning over to call down, "SANS! THE HUMANS SAYS THAT YOU KNOW THEY'RE CHEATING! IS THIS TRUE?"

"they texted me first."

"OH. RIGHT, YES, I WAS THERE FOR THAT." Papyrus paused. "ARE YOU UPSET THAT THEY'RE CHEATING?"

"they told me first."

"BUT MY DATING HANDBOOK SAYS THAT IT'S NOT NORMAL!"

"not all relationships follow guidelines, bro."

"GOOD POINT!" Papyrus jumped down onto the first floor. "I'M GOING TO GO GET UNDYNE AND FOLLOW THEM. FOR NOT SUSPICIOUS REASONS! IT'S BECAUSE I'M WORRIED."

"k." The next moment the window shattered and cold air came billowing in. Sans didn't even blink. He hadn't even gotten the chance to use his joke. That was a shame. From out of the window he could hear people going about their day. Did Asgore confront Lansot about dating his kid? Maybe not. Asgore had yet to confront Sans yet. The old man was probably still too surprised.

This laying here now didn't seem like as good of an idea as it was before Frisk had texted. He could feel the creeping thoughts on the edge of his mind. Sans's vision swam a bit and he blinked hard. He needed some sleep but right now there were more interesting things happening. Rather than just succumb to his depression maybe he could entertain himself. It would require effort but it may be worth it.

Sans got up.

* * *

Even Sans had to admit that Lansot and Frisk made a pretty cute couple. The kids were just sitting on a bench sharing Nice Cream. It had only taken a quick text to Papyrus to learn of their location. Apparently Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys had decided to stalk the children couple which was honestly pretty hilarious. Mostly because they were completely failing to be stealthy. All of the monsters and humans had noticed them hiding behind bushes and buildings and Sans didn't doubt that Lansot and especially Frisk were aware of their presences. Undyne was a knight, not a ninja. And Papyrus, bless his soul, was definitely never going to be a ninja. Alphys was actually managing to keep quiet but it was a hopeless affair with her companions.

Sans had decided it better not to join their group. He stood out of the line of sight of everyone and watched from a good but casual hiding place. He could hear Frisk and Lansot discussing things like school and the holidays. Which is all well and good on a date but boring for him to listen to. Lansot was chatty, after all, and Sans just didn't really have the attention span to deal with drivel no matter how nice the kid was. He just wasn't interested. Still he found himself watching Frisk and Lansot share their Nice Cream. It was a picturesque moment. Too bad he didn't have Frisk's camera for the steadily-growing scrapbook.

Maybe coming along on this date wasn't such a good idea. He should spice it up a bit. He grabbed his phone and shot out a quick text:

 _ **having fun?**_

Sans waited and then faintly heard the soft ping from Frisk's phone. They looked at it and made a face. Sans blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that kind of reaction. What kind of face even was that? Anger? Annoyance? Annoyance seemed about right. Sans had barely communicated with Frisk today though and they seemed to be enjoying their date. Was it because he was messaging them during their date?

Sans was bothered and he couldn't exactly explain why. Probably because his mood was already borderline dark. He gritted his teeth slightly and then forced himself to calm down. Maybe he should just head back home. This clearly wasn't getting anything productive done. In fact, he was being more productive than he usually was. He could probably be in his lab right now trying his hand at a theory he had with the liquid that leaked from the machine recently. Yet here he was still being a creep following a kid on their kid date.

He shouldn't care so much. He wanted to vent this mixture of frustration and apathy. He kept swinging back and forth between wanting to do _something_ and being unable to even work up the energy to get up from wherever he landed. Only the thought of teasing Frisk (and watching his brother be ridiculous) had even gotten him out here. He could still be on the floor hating everything. This was clearly a problem. Maybe he should talk to Frisk about it after the date. Maybe they would have an idea?

Sans pulled his hood up and dug his feet into the snow more while glaring at the ground. He shouldn't need to go to talk to the human. Why was he so reliant on them for emotional support? He was the adult over here. Frisk had problems but Sans didn't know if his were any worse. They were both in a messed up relationship and now people thought they were dating. How would he even date Frisk? Hold hands with them? Kiss them? He didn't have lips. They were just a kid anyway. Even if Sans had feelings for them he wouldn't pursue them like that. Dating was too much work and Frisk was a kid. What were Sans's feelings in relation to Frisk anyway? They were similar to his love for Papyrus but not quite like that. And they extended past the range of friendship but romantic may be a bit of a stretch.

Labels were a hassle.

Movement caught his attention and Papyrus and Alphys were taking off as Undyne shouted at them in an impromptu training session. Sans grinned as the woman nodded with pride and then realized that she was left alone. She quickly became bored and then chased after her friends to join the running. The whole while Lansot and Frisk steadfastly ignored them. That took some skill.

Sans was depressed. He knew this. He was completely aware of the fact that he was disillusioned with life. And he was slowly but surely trying to get over it. He had a future now. Frisk had promised him that they would not RESET and despite the necessary reload they had kept their promise. But getting over apathy formed from the crushing realization that fucking everything you do is meaningless? That a goddamn child can control your fate? Yeah, that doesn't go away easily. And as much as Sans loved Frisk, he also very much hated them. Yes, it wasn't their fault that they were supernaturally powerful with their determination. And yes technically most of the death that had occurred had been Chara's fault rather than pacifist Frisk. But Sans just couldn't trust someone to control his fate even if they were completely hands-off. Who's to say Chara won't come back? What if something terrible happens to Frisk and they RESET and they all end up back in the Underground? Weeks, months, maybe even years stripped away from them with only Sans to have semi-solid memories of this timeline. Even Frisk's memories were only slightly stronger than his own. But who's to say that he would even remember anything from this timeline? Frisk, after all, had gotten them all out before and he had no memory of it. All he would have left are the two pictures of them in the Overworld.

The bitterness was welling up in him. He needed to get away for a few moments so he turned and disappeared through a shortcut. He found himself in the shadow of the trees near Asgore's house. This was new. He didn't know this shortcut would take him to the king's house. He had just found the nearest one and gone through. He would need to make a note of it. But of-fucking-course when he was trying to leave the thought of Frisk he would end up at their dad's house.

Sans went around to the front and opened the door (Asgore welcomed everyone into his home and so left it open). There was half-melted snow all over the floor. He stared and for a split second considered cleaning it up and then just stepped over it and moved further into the house. He could tell by the lack of heat that Asgore actually hadn't been here for a while. He must have left Frisk alone. Sans moved back to the kid's room and saw the Christmas presents scattered about. He grabbed a package of socks that he had gifted his friend and felt a smile twitch on his face. That joke was pretty hilarious. Then his eyes landed on his jacket sprawled across Frisk's bed. Now that he thought about it, his buddy wasn't wearing it earlier. He counted in his head how long it had been since he'd last had it and decided that it would be another day or two before Frisk would return it.

He should give it to them, he decided on spur of the moment, and he snatched the coat up before he left the house again. He felt distinctly better. Maybe it had been all of the sneaking around getting to him. It reminded him too much of bad timelines when he had followed Frisk but hadn't gotten close to them after they had kil-

Sans found himself back at the park. He moved surprisingly fast when he wanted to. Frisk and Lansot were off in the close distance walking somewhere. He watched them for a moment before shrugging and following after. Along the way he shot off another text just to see their reaction:

 _ **you're being followed.**_

He fully expected Frisk to turn around when they looked at the message but instead Frisk just stiffened and looked more annoyed before putting the phone back in their pocket. How rude. Sans was trying to make conversation over here. He sent another text. In retrospect it came off a little too jealous. Was he even jealous? He couldn't tell. That wasn't the point. Frisk hadn't even looked. Well. Sans could play that game and so he sent a couple more messages.

Frisk and Lansot pulled to a stop and Sans ducked behind some trees as the kid read the messages. He was expecting exasperated humor and instead got the angriest face he had ever seen on Frisk. Well, the angriest face that wasn't literally murderous anyway. A part of him startled and felt a little cold. The thick feeling of being unwanted knotted in the back of his mind before he pushed it away firmly. It was better not to think such thoughts.

Lansot said goodbye and ended the date. Frisk typed on their phone and Sans's pocket buzzed (but didn't fart because he was smart enough not to leave the sound on).

 **Go away.**

Well.

 _ **angry, huh**_

 **You're rude.**

 _ **that's nothing new**_

Frisk paused at that. Sans watched them. What were they even so angry about? Were they just in a bad mood? Or maybe Frisk actually had feelings for the little monster kid and didn't appreciate the fact that their friends had pretty much invaded and ruined it? Frisk never mentioned feelings for anyone before. Although…Sans and Frisk never really talked about those kinds of things. Romance had never come up.

 **I thought you hated texting.**

 _ **I do.**_

Frisk was waiting for him. Looks like they finally realized he was actually following them. Sans pocketed his phone and approached Frisk to stand by their side. They refused to look at him. Sans felt his head begin to bead with sweat. Maybe this wasn't just about the date. He quickly went over all of the correspondence between them that day and then came to a realization.

Goddammit he was stupid. He hadn't talked to Frisk about the dating thing. Shit. "…thought I told you not to worry about it?" He tried. Frisk sent him a furious glare. Now Sans really was sweating. He wasn't scared of an angry Frisk (though the cold sweat that formed definitely was an unconscious reaction) but he definitely didn't like an angry Frisk either. He needed to smooth things over. "kid…it's honestly not a big deal. i'm not kidding."

"What do you want from me." Frisk said and the anger drained from them instantly. Now Sans just felt guilty. The kid sounded exhausted. Who knew that Frisk was an overthinker? Actually, no. Frisk was a kid that was just entering the pubescent stage of human life (Sans had learned quite a bit from the medical texts he had read when Frisk was sick. Puberty sounded fucking gross no matter what gender you were) so of course hormones and shit would come into play. Sans was probably sending some pretty wicked mixed signals here. Oops.

"nothing." Frisk didn't say anything. There was an expectant air about them. Sans had to consider his next words. "frisk, what we have is fine. but…well. did you ever think about how others might see it?" They looked at him. Sans gave them a neutral smile waiting to see their reaction. Frisk honestly had never thought about this stuff before? Maybe dating and stuff really did go over their head. The human really shouldn't flirt so much if they couldn't even back up their game. "really think about it for a moment."

Frisk stared across the street. Sans could see the process of thought in their eyes even as their face remained blank. They squinted with thought. It didn't take too long for two and two to be put together and their head snapped sideways to stare at Sans with wide eyes. Boom goes the dynamite. Sans couldn't help his wink. "get it now?"

Frisk frowned in confusion. "…Are we dating then?"

"who cares."

"Everyone, apparently."

True. It seemed like now the whole city –thanks to Papyrus- was aware of their current "relationship status". Sans was sure he could get a lot of laughs out of this scenario but right now he just yawned. "let 'em think what they want. pap's happy, you're happy, everyone's happy." He smiled at Frisk who was watching him. "who cares about labels. we're 'us', got it?" Actually, 'us' sounded like a great term. Sans would have to research maybe finding an actual term later. Labels were stupid but he wanted to have information just in case Frisk honestly started to worry again. He held out the jacket slung over his shoulder to the kid. "grillby's?"

Frisk smiled and nodded before taking the jacket from Sans and replacing the one they were wearing with it. Sans was pleased. Despite how ridiculous it looked, he rather liked seeing the kid wear his jacket. It practically was part of them just like it was part of him. He took Frisk's hand and the two of them to a shortcut. And if this was a date? Who cared.

* * *

 **A/N: My personal headcanon is that Sans is asexual. Or maybe even demisexual. But I don't really care to think too hard about it. So asexual Sans for me. You can take the wording in the story as "Sans is currently not sexually attracted to anyone right now" or "Sans is not sexually attracted to anyone whatsoever". That's your prerogative.**


	2. Strong Enough for Two

**A/N: Sans's POV of the chapter "Cowardice is Relative". Dammit I meant to get this out before midnight. Fuck me.**

* * *

A strange liquid had leaked from the side of the machine earlier this evening. Sans had made sure to write down the time and the date as he carefully collected it. It seemed to eat through any sort of biological material so he made sure to wear a thick pair of gloves. He really disliked this kind of science because he wasn't the best chemist in the world. Remembering formulas was fine and all but experimenting with them usually ended a little disastrously. In the past he had left that to Alphys considering the woman was much better with machines and creating all sorts of strange things. But Sans no longer had the pleasure of working with her or Gaster so he had to do it himself.

The first thing he needed to do was actually get the liquid away from everything and figure out where the liquid was coming from. It had leaked out of the bottom but Sans didn't remember putting anything like it in the machine when he had helped to build it. Then again, that time was a little blurry. Multiple timelines of memory really screwed your past memories up. But he was somewhat certain that he would remember this crazy crap.

Actually as he scraped the strange substance into a plastic beaker he realized it was thicker than he had previously thought. It seemed more like sludge than anything. If he listened closely it sounded like he could hear something similar to…..hushed voices coming from it. What the hell was this? Actually no. This was a little familiar. Determination? It wasn't the right color but…

He stood up with the filled beaker and studied the way the bright white light reflected off of the surface of the liquid. He recognized some little bits and pieces inside of it that looked an awful like the time-resistant metal. He looked at the machine with narrowed eyes. Did the machine have bits of the material in it? But it wasn't resistant to time itself. He would need to dig into wherever this crap had come from and really look around. For now he took the beaker over to the counter and set it down before pulling on his lab coat and goggles. There was no way in hell that he was working with any organic-corroding materials without protection.

Now that Sans was protected, he grabbed a glass and set it aside. He was muttering to himself he knew but it helped keep his thoughts. Besides he needed to word exactly what he was going to write down. When he speaks in Wing Dings (his name for it. Gaster had been amused and annoyed that his secret code language had been reduced to a silly name but that was what happened when you got drunk with Sans and your name had W.D. as initials. Plus there was a surprising amount of dinging sounds a person had to make to even speak the silly language) it helps him remember how to write it down later. Something about hearing the words.

Hear could still hear the hushed voices. He had a creeping suspicion about this sludge that was stomach-turning to even think about. But what else would it be? Time to run some tests but first. He looked back at the ground and found there was more sludge. It wasn't a problem –yet- but he would need to probably wear closed-toed shoes next time that he came down here. But it was lucky that whatever it was would still be leaking. Maybe he should plug that up. What if he left it there on the floor? What would happen with it? Whatever. He turned back instead to the sample he already had. He grabbed the empty glass and added a tiny bit of water. How would this stuff react to H2O?

The door opened upstairs. It was quiet but Sans knew the sound of the door sliding open. Frisk was awake then. What time even was it? Sans glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. Wow, he had been down here for a while. He wasn't especially tired because of some earlier napping. Still, Frisk had his coat. Why were they awake? Perhaps a dream about their human parents? It would make sense considering they were officially not Frisk's parents any longer. Frisk was a Dreemurr now.

Sans focused back on the sludge. He would turn his attention to Frisk in a few moments. Right now, though, he carefully poured the sludge into the water glass. The substance slid all together although slowly – _viscosity had increased by roughly 10% in the moments it was in the container. Related to it touching plastic? Just exposure to the air?-_ and plopped with a rather gross splat into the water. It immediately began to fizzle and turn into a gas. Ugh, not good. Sans turned on the overhead fan, annoyed. The gas shrieked while it was being sucked up and Sans felt a shudder run down his spine. He recognized that scream from a long ago memory.

 _Hypothesis: Strange sludge is a mixture of time-resistant metal, Determination, and…physical substance and/or magic of erased monster. More testing reluctantly needed._

 _Notes: Sludge doesn't like water. Chemical reaction or is it a personal reaction? Fire monsters, perhaps?_

Sans sighed, annoyed at the reaction, and watched as the leftover sludge melted into a liquid. It blended with the water effortlessly after that but Sans didn't have time to study it. Instead he dumped it down the sink and ran the water for a moment before pushing the used containers into the sink as well. He then approached his To-Bleach bucket and pulled off his gloves to toss them in there. His goggles went next for lack of anywhere to put them.

"i know you're there." He said. He could hear Frisk approach but they didn't say anything so Sans turned to take them in. Oh no. They had been crying. He could see the red around the rims of their eyes and the redness around the skin of their nostrils from rubbing at them. Judging by the glassiness, they were aslo fairly tired. "sup, buddy?" He asked and waited for the answer.

Just like he had kind of expected, Frisk's eyes well up again with tears. It always hurt to see the kid cry mostly because Frisk didn't cry often. Or if they did, it certainly wasn't around others. Sans had gotten the unfortunate and sad honor of being the one they usually cried around. What he had _not_ expected was the question that came from those trembling lips. It broke Sans's metaphorical heart so he hurried to wrap the human in a hug.

Frisk cried into his shoulder. Sans held the kid close and tight in his arms but didn't speak. There wasn't a point to. They were a bit too hysterical to understand so he would wait. But standing here wasn't a good idea and they were both a little too close to that strange gloop on the floor for Sans's comfort. He sighed to himself and asked, "alright, where to? couch or bed?"

Apparently words were beyond them at the moment as they instead signed their answer. Bed it was. Probably for the best so that when the human fell asleep they would at least have more space than Sans's admittedly-cramped couch. It was big because of Papyrus but if the two of them were going to lay together (and he would never admit it but he rather liked the body heat that Frisk gave off. The dry heat of it was pleasant on his bones) then there would need to be more room or they would both wake up with aches and stiffness.

Sans lead Frisk back up into the house. The kid was still crying but they were keeping it down. Probably so as to not wake Papyrus. A good choice judging by the content that would no doubt come from this particular outburst. Sans went through the door into his bedroom first and kicked his slippers across the floor before collapsing onto his mattress. He never actually told Frisk but this one was a newer piece of furniture because frankly the old lumpy one was getting bad on his back and probably did not feel good to a human either. This one was like heaven with its softness.

Frisk joined him on the bed and buried their face into his chest to trembling with the effort to repress their own sadness. Sans didn't blame them but would rather they just let it out. There was no point in hiding but he certainly wasn't going to tell them no. He instead just rested his mouth against the crown of their head and breathed. Soon enough the kid started muttering about being a fuck up. And messed up. Unconsciously Sans's hand clenched in righteous anger and denial on Frisk's part but he forced himself to relax and speak gently.

"hey." He interrupted their spiel. In the darkness Sans could see them much better than humans could and while he was none too pleased to see these nasty human fluids drenching his shirt (ugh, mucus. Why were humans so _leaky_ sometimes?) he could tell that Frisk was not in a good place at the moment. From what he could gather it was related to their parents which frankly both annoyed and exasperated him. He didn't understand Frisk's obsessive attachment to their abusers. Maybe it was just the kid's bleeding heart. It just pissed him off so much that even now with Frisk's happy end on the horizon those humans were still hurting the child.

"kid, you need to stop beating yourself up so much." Sans rolled over so he and Frisk were face-to-face. It wasn't an appealing sight. He didn't want Frisk feeling guilty over their choice to finally be happy. One of the two of them had to be. This was a victory for both of them. If Frisk was happy then the risk of a RESET decreased dramatically. Frisk themselves had admitted to the fact that Sans's promise was the only thing keeping them from RESETing. He personally thought Frisk was the bravest person he'd ever met. He couldn't do half of the things that the child had gone through. This getting out of their bad situation? It was fucking brave and Frisk needed to stop thinking of others and think of themselves for once. He made sure to tell them so.

But Frisk just rejected the idea, much to Sans's frustration. He couldn't even voice the thoughts in his head so he just tapped his skull to Frisk's. How the hell did one explain to a child how much of a piece of shit their mother was? How did a friend tell that child how much their new parents needed them? Did Frisk not realize how broken Toriel and Asgore both were because of the loss of their two children? Frisk would never replace them but Tori and Asgore fucking loved their new child with all of their souls. And Frisk needed to realize this. It was time to let their human mother go because the woman had never wanted this beautiful soul of a child in the first place.

"I broke her heart." Frisk whimpered.

"the world is give and take. there are no perfect endings. you and me? we know that well." Too well. Even this perfect ending wasn't even perfect in Frisk's book.

"I just…. it seems like no matter what I do…I'm hurting someone."

"yeah." What else was Sans supposed to say to that? That was how the world worked. You save one person and you sacrificed another. And no matter how good Frisk was, Frisk had done horrible deeds in their past. Even if that past didn't technically exist in this timeline. Sans wasn't much for karma but he certainly believed in the law of equivalent exchange. To create a happy ending, Frisk had to destroy someone else's. It was the same with everything.

The two of them cuddled in silence. Sans focused on the feeling of Frisk's soft breath against his collarbones. Occasionally it stuttered with another cry. It was soothing in a way. He could feel their heartbeat on his sternum. He had always found the feeling fascinating. It was like a metronome. Sans rolled over onto his back and found the kid half-sprawled across him. They refused to detach but that was fine. Sans pulled them closer so that his hip bone didn't dig awkwardly into the top of theirs. Almost unconsciously his hand came up to stroke thoughtfully through Frisk's hair.

He felt the human's lips pull up into a smile against his clavicle. "You remembered." Their voice was a little nasally. He hoped they didn't leak anymore. He really didn't want to know the feeling of snot against the inside of his ribs or on his neck. Fucking grody.

"that humans have a weird fixation with people touching their hair? yeah. s' super weird." He wasn't about to say that he got some enjoyment out of it too. Frisk's hair was surprisingly fine and felt good against his fingers. It ran like cool silk. And every now and again Frisk would shudder in pleasure and their skin would become all bumpy. He still didn't understand the point of the bumps but he had read enough fanfiction to know that in hair-touching scenarios it meant only good things.

"You're just saying that," the kid paused to yawn. Sans was right in saying they were exhausted, "because you don't have hair."

Sans almost laughed at that. That was so immature to say. He didn't need hair. Then again he had a feeling that if Frisk decided to just run their fingernails over his skull it probably wouldn't feel as good. It's the lack of skin he was sure. Skull touching sounded super weird. Let's not do that. But things like that made it seem like they were dating. The fact he had even thought about it was enough of a reason. Fuck, he was really in deep with this relationship no matter how fake it was. He pointed out the dating thing.

Frisk shot back sarcastically that it wasn't Sans's fault at all. Now, Sans didn't have too much of an issue with sarcasm. In fact, he himself had used it on occasion when he was feeling in the mood. But sarcasm wasn't actually funny to him. It usually hid ill intentions and was more for making fun of someone rather than because they were just playing with them. Not always, but usually it did. In this case it was innocent so he would just scold Frisk a bit for it.

Frisk only laughed lightly and Sans felt a little bit of déjà vu. Those words were familiar in his mouth. Frisk only confirmed it. Sans rolled eyes nonexistent eyes. Well, he supposed, with enough timelines of course he was bound to repeat things. It was still a little annoying. It was more annoying when Frisk was apparently intent on being a little shit. He shut that down quickly. Luckily Frisk was a smart kid. But that didn't stop the both of you from laughing at a bad joke and then laughing harder at Frisk's resulting snort. It cracked Sans up the sounds Frisk could make.

They both fell silent each with their own thoughts. Goddamn Sans loved this human. They were ridiculous and self-conscious and messed up but moments like these? He wouldn't give up for anything. He didn't like discussing bad issues but moments in the night where he could just hold his best friend to him and giggle over stupid shit were the best. The calm of the world in the ambiguous hours of the morning where the line between "night" and "tomorrow morning" blurred were the most enjoyable in Sans's insomniac opinion.

Frisk broke the silence to question him about breathing. Honestly monsters and humans alike were strangely bemused at how Papyrus and Sans lived day-to-day without all of the supposed organs needed to live. Skeletons just were sustained by more magic than other monsters. He and his brother had human skeletons but they didn't need all of the complicated muscles and arteries and blood and lungs needed to survive. The only real reason why he breathed was out of habit. If he didn't breathe then he couldn't smell and he'd be missing out on a part of life without smelling things. Luckily breathing didn't take much effort otherwise he wouldn't even bother. Plus he needed it to talk.

"Stop breathing." Frisk said in response to that statement.

What a little shit.

Frisk was falling asleep in his arms. Sans focused on the feeling of the human's fingers trailing up and down his ribs. That was….surprisingly relaxing. This was new information to him. He had never considered that being touched in such a way would be so soothing. He had never let someone touch him like that before. He had never wanted anybody to. The only person who came close to being allowed to touch him was Papyrus and it was way too weird for it to be like this.

Look at this, he thought, it's like we're actually dating. He had gotten in really deep with this relationship with Frisk. He could barely imagine what his life would be like without them in it anymore. The past seemed almost hazy. That time before Frisk had arrived in the Underworld seemed a distant memory. Would Sans even be able to function without this human with him? Somehow he had the feeling that it wouldn't end well.

A memory jolted in his skull. It scrambled his thoughts just as sudden memories did. They were rare but they still happened. It was too realistic in his own head not to be real. Thoughts of his depression affecting him stronger than ever. A New Year's that went down a lot different than this one did. One where he had spent much more time alone and with Papyrus hounding him for sleep. Sans could remember the anger and bitterness that tainted his life and the reluctance in which to call Frisk. He had thrown himself into his research (research that had survived the load because of preplanning. It really was an extraordinary amount of work that got done in a short period. Fat lot it did for much anything though because the machine was still busted) day and night and barely saw his friends. He had been practically threatened to be beheaded and forced to talk on the phone if he didn't call Frisk himself.

"frisk…" Sans said before he could help himself. "…i think…i remember more of the last timeline." He wasn't even sure if Frisk was awake but they shifted and he understood that they were. Sans honestly didn't remember too much of that time. Mostly impressions. Even as he tried to focus the clarity of them began to fade back into the ether of other memories. This timeline was too prominent in his mind. Still he tried to explain the experience.

And it was fucked up. It really was. Desperately wanting to see Frisk to find comfort in someone who actually understood? The fact that he just couldn't cope without them? When had he become so dependent on another person for happiness? For any kind of fucking relief in his life? He had noticed these feelings before but now? Now it was suddenly too much. Laying in this moment with Frisk in his arms? Talking about how he had fucking fallen apart without their support? It was too much.

He sat up not caring that he had flung Frisk off of him. He couldn't deal with this right now. He hid his face in his hands and resisted the urge to leave the room. This room –his natural habitat- wasn't big enough anymore. Frisk was too close to him. The feeling of his ribs expanding and contracting quickly was an effort to calm down but he couldn't. His very clothes felt suffocating. The very presence of this fucking human was too much. He wanted them gone.

And like they knew, Sans heard Frisk shift away. The space helped to clear his head a bit but the claustrophobia hadn't completely faded. When Frisk spoke, it was hesitant and slightly scared. But it wasn't of Sans, he could tell. Frisk was realizing the gravity of this mess as well. "I….didn't realize this…The emotional dependency." They confessed. "But….you understand me. And my….power. Why wouldn't we…um….want to be with each other?"

This isn't what Sans wanted to hear. It didn't matter that they were sort of making sense. Sans had already told himself all of this stuff before. It didn't make it any better. But he needed to calm down. He was showing symptoms of a panic attack. He needed a distraction. "…..when you were sick….i read a medical book about humans." He dropped his hands and clenched them in the fabric of his pants. "…there's this thing that people get when they go through traumatic experiences. ptsd. heard of it?" Frisk didn't respond. Their silence was enough of an answer. "post-traumatic stress disorder." He explained. "people with it can help other victims because they're experiencing the same thing. 's probably what we got. you, the kid who's been emotionally abused all their life and me, the guy who ruined someone's fucking existence. between the two of us you learned to care too much and i all but lost the ability to care." He scoffed hating himself and everything. "messed up."

Sans wasn't looking at Frisk but he could hear hollow helplessness in their voice as they asked, "…who else would we talk to?" There was something in that tone of voice that made fear race up Sans's spine. Fear for Frisk rather than for himself. He….he wasn't used to that tone of voice. The fear and resignation in it made something terrible bubble in his chest. Something was wrong but he didn't know what. Frisk didn't say anything more and Sans couldn't bring himself to ask.

Nonetheless he turned to see the kid with their face buried in their knees. He couldn't describe the look on their face if he tried but he felt like he had been slapped. Something he had said or done had broken a part of this child. Or worse, he had just exposed a new side to Frisk that he hadn't even noticed was there. It was enough to shock him out of his daze. And Frisk's words explaining how their parents wouldn't forgive their sins…how Sans hated them (but he didn't. He didn't dammit. But they weren't completely wrong)…and how Papyrus would….how Frisk was so certain that their friends would never really forgive them…it hurt. That tiny smile so full of sorrow didn't help. He felt like Frisk was saying goodbye.

He couldn't let Frisk go. But he couldn't get himself to move. He was transfixed by the train wreck he was watching.

But Frisk turned away only to meet his eyes once again. There was a change in their look now. Something stronger. _There_ was the Frisk that Sans admired so much. The one that was determined no matter what. Damn the fact that they always chose the worst things to become determined over though. "Sans. We are…emotionally dependent on each other…because neither of us are strong enough to rely on anyone else. We're…both broken. But…our broken pieces…kind of fit together. Almost. And…and maybe we can fix ourselves. Carefully. We have a whole future ahead of us." They reached towards Sans and without any forethought he captured it in his. Frisk approached then and kneeled on the bed in front of him. "When we're stronger…we can share our burden of knowledge with others. We have time."

God…. _damn_ this child.

The sigh that escaped Sans felt something like a prayer –for what, though, he wasn't sure- as he pulled Frisk back into his arms. He didn't feel the cold but at this moment he felt chilled to the bone. Frisk didn't feel much better. Maybe the room was just cold. The both of them clung tightly to each other as if to keep out the rest of the world. The two of the broken pieces stuck together the best that they could be. It wasn't a perfect fit but it was good enough. And as the two of them laid back on the bed Sans thought that…he could try at least. If not for him then at least for Frisk. He would try to be strong enough so that the day would come that they would one day be able to walk without completely leaning on each other for support. Today they could be one person. And tomorrow?

Sans closed his eyes. Tomorrow was another day.


	3. Goddamn Time Shenanigans

**A/N: The full name of this chapter's title is actually: Goddamn Time Shenanigans. These Aren't Even Fun. This chapter's alternate title is "Are You There, God? It's Me, Sans the Skeleton. You know the One You Fucked Over?"**

 **also why is it that all these Sans chapters are so huge. In comparison to the Frisk chapters, I mean.**

* * *

One thing Sans never liked was being woken up when he could sleep in. One thing he REALLY didn't like was being woken up after a long night at the comedy club. But yet here he was with his head vaguely pounding and a child rudely gripping one of his ribs and shaking him awake. He knew it had to be the human because Papyrus and Sans had an unspoken rule about grabbing ribs. You just didn't do it. If he had to compare it to something a human could understand it was like someone walking up and grabbing a toe or nose and then shaking them. Doesn't hurt but it's fucking annoying. The Toe Incident was bad enough without rib-grabbers being added to it.

But this was Frisk and if Sans was being woken up by Frisk it meant that usually something was wrong. Still not a great way to start the day. Especially because Sans was absolutely certain it was still early and waking up early on weekends? Totally sucked. Nonetheless he let rip a yawn and a stretch (feel those bones snapping and popping back in to place! Damn that felt good) before he opened his eyes to focus on Frisk. It was still dark in the room but the sun was coming in through the closed blinds giving enough light for him to see Frisk.

"sup?" He asked. "nightmare?" That was the only reason Frisk should be shaking him awake so early. Frisk looked frankly distressed and unnerved as they glanced around them. That was no looking good for the day so far. Especially when Frisk denied that they'd had a nightmare. Instead they asked the date. Sans could feel his head throb and decided to blow off the stupid question. If he had a few seconds he would be asleep again-

But Frisk was shaking him again. They still hadn't let go of his rib. The feeling of fingers on the inside of his ribcage was disturbing. Reluctantly he rolled back over to stare at Frisk. There was a thin layer of sweat on their forehead that glistened in the low light. For such a young kid they really shouldn't have the stress lines that they had under their eyes. Sans would rather they curl back into his arms so he could revel in their dry heat than deal with this strangeness. But Frisk needed to be pacified first no matter how stupid the question. "it's sunday."

They shook their head in denial again. "Saturday."

That was weird. He really just wanted to go back to sleep. He wasn't awake enough for this. "definitely sunday." His answer only seemed to distress Frisk more. Their hand clenched reactively tighter around his rib. Something wasn't right and Sans wasn't going to figure it laying down. He sat up. "'s matter?" Frisk didn't answer. "frisk."

"…Saturday?" They whispered. It was almost a whimper. What were they noticing? Of course it wasn't Saturday. They were completely fine yesterday. Did they have a dream that messed with their head? Not necessarily a scary dream but still a dream? A memory? But why would that make them so insistent that it was Saturday? Sans was at a loss. Frisk looked away. "What did we do yesterday?" They asked.

So Sans told them briefly. It had just been a routine inspection of the Core. Sans and Frisk had gone with Alphys yesterday for fun. Or rather Frisk had wanted to go and Sans had tagged along because he wanted a closer look at Gaster's invention. Maybe he could find a link between the two to help advance his research. Not that he couldn't find a way into the more hidden parts of the Core easily but it was risky taking shortcuts because there was the possibility of ending up in or over lava. not a fun way to go, he was sure. But he had to say, hanging out with Alphys again had been weird. And tense. They had Frisk as a buffer and Sans was good at avoiding talking about serious things but he had been able to tell that Alphys was still sketchy with hanging out with Sans alone. Or at least without Undyne and/or Papyrus to fill in the blanks in talking. Sans could relate to that feeling.

But Frisk was just looking more scared by every word that Sans said. There was no sign of recognition of the brief explanation of yesterday. Their eyes met his and he didn't like how pale they looked. They shook their head minutely.

"I…I don't remember…" They said quietly.

That wasn't good. Sans mind whirred with the possibilities. He went over everything that he could remember happened yesterday but nothing stood out. Frisk hadn't been in contact with any of the more questionable machines, Sans hadn't sensed any time anomalies, and Alphys had been normal. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Sans had even dropped Frisk off at his house with Papyrus before Sans had gone off to his sort-of hobby job. The only possibility he could think of was that Frisk had loaded a SAVE but they would remember doing that. And why would they bother? Still he asked to confirm and they confirmed that they hadn't done anything.

Which only left that something had happened in the Core. Something that he had forgotten? Was it possible that whatever had wiped Frisk's memory had also altered his? Were any of the workers down there affected? Was Alphys? It wasn't like he could ask her considering she was with Undyne out of town for a match. They would need to go back down there but what would they even be looking for? Sans couldn't make out any gaps in his memory. Still, Frisk wouldn't cause trouble for no reason. A whole missing day? Not Fucking Good.

Sans removed Frisk's fingers from his rib and went to go get dressed. They should go now before something else possibly happened. He didn't even care that he had dressed in front of Frisk and he grabbed the kid's clothes that they had worn yesterday from the floor and tossed them at the human commanding them to get dressed and that he would meet them downstairs.

Frisk halted him by grabbing him. "What happened?" They asked looking worried for the answer. Sans smiled back but it was certainly not a happy smile.

"nothing significant. that's the problem." He left the room then and headed downstairs. Papyrus was already up and looking ready to prepare breakfast. Sans instinctively switched into his chill mode so as to not alert his brother to anything strange. "mornin', bro."

"YOU'RE UP EARLY!" Papyrus commented as he started to put on his apron. "DID YOU SLEEP WELL?" Sans didn't even get a chance to respond before Papyrus continued, "I HAD A GREAT DREAM LAST NIGHT! IT INVOLVED ME WRESTLING WITH UNDYNE. AND ACTUALLY WINNING!"

"wow. sounds like you can see the future."

"NYEH HEH HEH HEH HEH!" Papyrus was in a great mood today. It cheered Sans up to see that. It was always great to see Papyrus being all cheerful. Someone in their family had to be. Sans would gladly give up all of his happiness if it meant that Papyrus could have it. "OH RIGHT. SANS! I'M ANGRY WITH YOU!"

Sans slouched in his chair, slightly amused. "what for?"

"YOU TOOK ALL OF PILLOWS AND MY BLANKET LAST NIGHT! MAKE SURE YOU GIVE THEM BACK THIS TIME! WITHOUT MYSTERIOUS STAINS." Sans didn't respond. True, he had stolen Papyrus's blankets and pillows before for pranking reasons (which involved him making one of those rope traps to catch prey but just ended up with Papyrus hanging from the trees of Snowdin) but he hadn't touched his blankets. It wasn't unusual for him to be blamed for these things though.

Frisk appeared then and Papyrus greeted them. Sans couldn't bite back his very-real grin when Papyrus suggested that Sans and Frisk were going on a date. That was hilarious. A date to find out who or what fucked with Frisk's (and maybe Sans's own) memories. Sans's life was so fucked up. Couldn't even have a normal date to a molten lava pit with a human. Tsk tsk.

…No this wasn't funny. He shouldn't be playing around like this even in his own head.

Sans informed Papyrus of the plan to go to the Core without the details. To Sans's surprise Papyrus agreed to go along even though he wasn't invited. Sans wasn't certain how he felt about taking Papyrus to a maybe-unstable place in time but he wouldn't say no. Papyrus would most likely ask more details otherwise and while Sans was good at avoiding topics he didn't particularly like lying to his brother. Especially because Papyrus was good at knowing when Sans was being a lying sack of shit. It was some kind of strange brother sense that Sans himself didn't need for Papyrus because Pap was an open book. He did, however, need to use it on Frisk.

Papyrus left to go get his things and Sans was left with the still-shaken Frisk. They appeared pale but other than that they didn't show much outward sign to anything wrong. Frisk was watching Sans just as he was watching them. For more facts he asked if Frisk remembered where Alphys and Undyne were. They didn't. It wasn't overall important but Sans may need to contact Alphys if he really did find something strange down there.

When Papyrus returned the three of them headed out walking up to the mountain. It was quite a walk but Sans could lead the three of them through a shortcut. Papyrus was used to them just like Frisk was but Papyrus usually didn't notice a whole lot going through the shortcuts. Sans just needed to distract him with talk. If Papyrus did notice their shortcuts he was never bothered. But he also never asked how Sans did it. Papyrus didn't know much about Sans's hobbies but he at least knew enough not to question these things.

The long walk was made shorter as they arrived just outside of the entrance to Asgore's castle. Together the three of them descended. Sans noticed that Frisk seemed unusually distracted as they looked around themselves and then at the brothers. Even Papyrus had noticed although he had yet to point it out. Frisk would wander away from them and then come back appearing contemplative and a little unnerved. It was odd. But whenever Sans actually watched them when they wandered, he never saw what distracted them.

When they finally reached Hotland and the Core, Sans didn't immediately notice anything strange. But as he went deeper there was a creeping sense of unease. Was it just his imagination? Was he just expecting something to be here even if there wasn't? If he didn't find anything here, then what was his next step? There had to be a cause to Frisk's (and possibly his own) memory loss. But as he examined the readings the Core was giving off and all of sounds of the machines working in harmony, he couldn't see anything out of place.

That just complicated things. Sans shoved his hands into his coat pockets –returned to him by Frisk earlier because it was too hot for them to wear it- and narrowed his sockets at the screen in front of him. Calculations danced through his mind but they all added up to "everything's normal". But the Core isn't built for sensing time anomalies so it wasn't like he could rely on it. Gaster's technology is proving to hold strong all of these years but it still wasn't helping anything.

He was left completely confused. There was nothing for it, it seemed. He would just need to go back to his lab and run some experiments. Perhaps Frisk would allow a couple of experiments…No best not. He didn't need an angry Tori on his case. He couldn't afford to waste time like that. Perhaps something with his experiments with the machine had gone wonky? Admittedly he had gotten a little bit of that goo on his clothes but he had gotten it all off for the most part.

….

Sans decided to rejoin his wandering companions just in time to find Frisk once again staring at nothing. Or in this case, a blank wall. They appeared completely fascinated which was just worrying Sans more. Had the memory loss affected the kid badly somehow? Frisk tore their eyes away from whatever they were looking at and tugged on Papyrus's hand to point at the wall. "Door?" They asked.

Sans and Papyrus both looked but it was definitely a blank wall. Nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. Sans found his eyes skittering away from where they were pointing as Papyrus questioned the human. Frisk only pointed harder. They seemed baffled that the brothers couldn't see what they were seeing. Another human thing? This day is turning out strange.

Sans felt sweat building up on his head. His skull was throbbing and trying to look at wherever the kid was pointing only made his head pound harder. He couldn't get his eyes to focus on the spot. He tried to assure them that there was only a wall there but Frisk was insistent. They released Papyrus and made to approach the door like they were compelled to do so. Automatically Sans grabbed their wrist.

There was something seriously wrong. Every fiber of his being –his very soul- was screaming that this wasn't right. They should leave this area. Sans would come back later once his precious people were out of harm's way. He would do readings himself. He didn't have to look directly at it to know. "…that doesn't seem like a good idea." He told the child.

Frisk only stared at Sans. Their eyes were clear but there was a seriousness to them. Sans could tell that Frisk wouldn't be dissuaded. But every instinct told him not to let them go. Frisk's stare didn't let up. Reluctantly Sans released them. "There's a door." They stated and immediately walked to the wall. Sans had no choice but to watch as Frisk reached forward as if to a door handle and to both brothers' shock a door appeared at their touch. It opened up to a hallway that Sans only briefly got to see before Frisk stepped through.

Papyrus and Sans moved at once as Frisk turned to them. But before either could reach it, the door slammed shut suddenly. "FRISK!" Papyrus cried and Sans immediately went for the doorknob as his brother pounded on the door. The knob didn't budge and no matter how hard he tugged it wouldn't open.

"kid! frisk, open the door!" Sans called.

"FRISK, THIS IS NOT FUNNY! I DON'T LIKE THIS MAGIC AT ALL! MYSTERIOUS DOORS TO NOWHERE ARE NOT FUNNY!" Papyrus agreed.

Sans slammed his fist against the door. It was a wooden thing that barely looked like it would survive an attack. But it was as hard as an actual wall. He couldn't even see a seam to the doorframe. How was this even possible? Papyrus was still screaming for Frisk while Sans dropped to his knees to see if he could find a crack under the door. The thing looked like it was fused to the wall. Like the door was only realistically painted on.

"SANS!" Papyrus turned to his brother. "I-IS THIS A TRICK OF YOURS? A JOKE? PLEASE SAY IT'S A JOKE."

"sorry pap. not this time." Sans told him and stood back up. His head was hurting even more. He could hear some sort of white noise that seemed to pierce his skull. Was it just in his mind, though?

"UGH. WHAT IS THAT?" Papyrus groaned as he leaned his head against the door, rubbing his temples. So it was real. Which could only mean it was coming from the room. Sans really wished that he wasn't a little hungover.

"frisk!" He called out again and summoned a bone. There was no response. The static was just getting louder. "papyrus, help me."

"DO YOU WANNA BREAK THE DOOR?" Papyrus asked even as he backed up with Sans. The shorter brother nodded and Papyrus summoned his own bones. They both attacked the door with the weapons but it was like hitting metal. They weren't going through but neither of them were using their full strength. Papyrus continued to call out to Frisk as they continued their assault slowly building in their attacks as they became more desperate.

What even was this door? Where did it lead to? He could barely stand to look at it and it threw off his aim. Sometimes both him and Papyrus would hit around the door than the actual thing itself. Was Frisk really on the other side? Did it lead to another dimension? Was it some kind of hole in space and time? Sans was about ready to use his blasters on the damn thing if it didn't open soon-

"Help me!" Sans could almost feel his bones turn to ice as somehow over the static he heard Frisk's cry for help. There was no more hesitation in either brother as the both of them as one summoned up some of their largest bones and shot them at the door. The first hit dented it but the rest caused the door to explode inward. Both skeletons rushed inside to find the room completely empty but Frisk on the ground.

"FRISK!" Papyrus cried and slid on his knees until he was at Frisk's side. The child was trembling and curled up. Sans's eyes scanned the human but he couldn't see anything physically wrong with Frisk other than the intense pain on their face and the sweat that dampened their hair. Sans could see Frisk was cradling their arm and he grabbed their shoulder to see it better. Papyrus was half pulling the child into his lap. "SANS, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THEM?"

"i-i don't know." Sans said frantically. Frisk's eyes, which had been clenched shut against whatever pain they were in, opened to look at them but their eyes were unfocused. Tears were welling up in them and Sans was beginning to panic.

Then he felt something he had never expected nor wanted to feel again. Time was shifting around them. It was the same feeling from when Gaster had activated the machine but before he actually stepped into it and was erased. Sans could feel the breath leave his body as his hands immediately clenched in fear around the fabric of Frisk's sweater. Then he noticed that they weren't in the same room anymore. This was...!

Bells tolled slowly three times. Sans couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of himself standing near Frisk. Another him. And another Frisk. Or…to be more accurate judging by the quiet fury on his own face and the things he was saying…Chara. This place still made horror curl in his stomach. But why were they seeing this?

"SANS, WHAT-" Papyrus whimpered and Sans's head turned sharply. He had forgotten that Papyrus was here. And he was seeing all of this. The confusion and horror on his face as he saw the twisted expression on the alternate Sans's face and the murderous glee on Frisk's – _Chara's, goddammit!-_ face were the worst thing Sans had experienced so far.

Papyrus knew.

But then the world suddenly wobbled and the three of them were surrounded by snow and the cold made Frisk shudder. There was no time for Sans to think about the consequences of this time anomaly. For a moment Sans thought that they were back in Ebott but no. This was outside of Snowdin. Wait…that conveniently-shaped lamp. This was…

"what is this?" He breathed.

"SANS!" Sans's attention was ripped back to the situation at hand. "THEIR ARM! LOOK!" Papyrus was nearly in tears and Sans and Frisk both looked at the human's arm. A horrified noise tore from Sans's throat as Frisk's arm seemed to fritz out like an old television and then righted. It was like watching a computer screen glitch. And it was terrible to see. Even as Sans watched the glitch seemed to crawl up Frisk's arm. It was to their shoulder.

This was the cause of their jumping. Sans turned to his brother. "don't let go of frisk!" He commanded and Papyrus met his eyes. Frisk gave a sob of fear and pain. "we need to hold on! if we let go, we'll lose them!" Papyrus nodded in understanding. God bless his brother. Even as scared as all of them were, Papyrus understood that now was not the time to question anything Sans said. He pulled Frisk closer to his body and Sans made sure to keep his hand bundled in Frisk's sweater. He didn't dare touch the glitch. Sans had never been so terrified in his life. Frisk for some reason had lost their hold on time. They were jumping through both time and space. Even to alternate timelines.

Then they were all jumping again faster than anything. Sans could only catch flashes of places he recognized. There was the Ruins and then Frisk's house. Then Asgore's house and then they were in a place Sans didn't recognize at all. Strange modern furniture was everywhere and he thought he heard some human jazz before they jumped again back to Toriel's home in Ebott.

This was Frisk's doing. It was their thoughts, Sans realized. What did a scared child want? They wanted to go to a familiar place. To go home. All of those places they had just seen were places that Frisk considered home. Or home at one time perhaps? (Had that been Frisk's human home?) Which meant that Frisk had some semblance of control over the jumping.

Sans looked back down at Frisk. They were crying and sweat coated their head. He hated seeing them in pain. Their eyes were only partially open and they were cloudy. "focus, kid! listen to my voice!" He commanded as his hand found the damp cheeks. Frisk whimpered and thrashed their head some seeming unconscious of even doing so.

"I'm scared!" They sobbed.

Papyrus pulled the child close to his body and Sans clutched at the both of them. "WE HAVE YOU, FRISK!" Sans didn't understand how Papyrus could sound so strong in this moment. He himself felt like he was falling apart at the seams. He didn't do well under high-pressure situations. Despite everything he was suddenly extremely relieved that he had his brother there. For the sake of both him and Frisk. "DON'T GIVE UP! WE'RE HERE FOR YOU!"

Then they all jumped again and ended up in an all-too familiar kitchen. It was their kitchen. His and Papyrus's. But it wasn't the one in Ebott. The wallpaper was different. This was the one from the Underground. But even as Sans watched it shifted back and forth between their current kitchen and their past kitchen.

"…this is real." Sans's voice was trembling. Hypothesis confirmed. He turned back to Frisk and gently but firmly grabbed the child's chin. "Frisk. Think of my lab. Can you understand me? The lab."

Apparently Frisk could still understand despite whatever pain they were going through. Alphys's lab appeared around their group. And then a lab Sans never wanted to see again. The True Lab was in disrepair. No time to think of that now.

"My lab! Remember!" He tried again. The glitch was on Frisk's chest now. They were running out of time. What if it touched their heart? What would happen to the human? Humans cannot survive without their heart. Was it possible for parts of Frisk to jump time without the rest of them? There were too many variables. They needed to hurry.

Then they were in Sans's lab. He almost threw himself towards his worktop when he realized this was the wrong time. He could see himself sleeping with Frisk on the couch. Papyrus gasped once again at the sight of another brother. Before Sans could tell Frisk to try again, time altered and Sans recognized a more current time. He had no way of confirming how current but there was no time. That goop was still leaking from the machine and he had a crazy idea of what he could do with it. But first-

"good! this is good!" He called to Frisk before they tried to jump again and he dashed away from them to throw open his cabinets. Dammit he knows it's in here somewhere…!

"SANS!" Papyrus cried out in terror. Frisk was weeping now. There was a faint buzzing of static in the air. Not good. Not good. Not good! "IF WE JUMP AGAIN-!"

"i know! i know!" Dammit where the fuck was it?! "just…!" There! What a fucking time to misplace the damn thing! He grabbed the roughly-shaped cube of anti-time metal and rushed back to his brother and friend. He dropped to his knees and risked grabbing the glitched arm and forced Frisk to wrap their fingers around the metal. They yelped in pain and their arm jerked to get away. Shit! Of course it wouldn't react well with the metal. They were opposites. But Sans didn't have any other ideas for keeping Frisk in this moment.

"FRISK!" Papyrus cried.

"n-no, you have to hold it!" Sans half-begged. Frisk was sobbing and kept trying to get rid of the metal. Sans hated holding that hand around the metal. It was hurting them. But Frisk, ever the trooper, kept holding it. He tucked their arm against their chest and Papyrus pulled the child fully into his arms. Sans didn't have time to waste and threw himself into his work. He grabbed a two cups and put some water in one and scooped some of the leaking goop up with the other.

From the other side of the room he could hear Papyrus desperately trying to bolster Frisk's spirit. All of the things he said sounded like great things to do and if all of this worked out they definitely needed to do them all. He knew that Papyrus was talking to keep Frisk awake and vaguely focused. His brother was so fucking smart sometimes. Sans helped by almost casually talking about how Toriel and Asgore would probably kill them both if Frisk died ( _was erased)._ He even managed a joke.

 _Goddammit, I will_ _ **not**_ _lose another!_ He thought viciously.

He combined the goop with the water. Like last time it shrieked and collapsed into a liquid. No time for safety. Corroded fingers were worth it if it saved Frisk. He took a breath and then dipped his finger into the liquid. Nothing happened. Close enough. The static was getting louder. There was nothing to do but hope.

Sans rushed back to the duo. His hands were shaking terribly and Papyrus and Frisk weren't much better. "Medicine?" Frisk rasped.

"let's hope this works." Sans replied instead. He wasn't a praying guy but he hoped to the gods or whatever the fuck was out there that this worked. "here goes…everything." He poured the liquid onto what he assumed was the source of the glitch.

The scream that ripped from Frisk in reaction would haunt Sans forever. He had never heard the child that loud and under any other circumstance he probably would have loved to hear how loud they could get. But in this moment it was all he could do not to collapse even as Frisk thrashed their body about. Their hand found and yanked at Papyrus's shirt and Papyrus began to sob in earnest as both he and Sans pulled Frisk close between them. The glitch was gone. And then Frisk jerked and stopped moving. Instantly the brothers were calling the child's name.

"n-no. nonono, frisk, no. come on buddy. come on kid." Sans begged as his trembling fingers tried to find a pulse.

"SANS. SANS, FRISK…! FRISK NO. NO." Papyrus whimpered and decided to completely bypass trying to find and pulse and put the side of his skull to Frisk's chest. Sans's fingers scrapped down his own skull and found purchase gripping his own sockets. Frisk can't be dead. They'll just…they'll load a SAVE! Sans wouldn't mind. He would allow it.

"dammit. dammit, frisk! load a SAVE. please. i won't be mad. don't die. just don't die." Sans muttered to himself. He was being useless. He needed to help somehow but his help had only-

Papyrus collapsed with relief. "THEIR HEART IS BEATING. S-SANS, THAT MEANS THEY'RE ALIVE RIGHT?" His brother looked to him desperately and Sans sobbed once dropping his face into his hands as he nodded.

"y-yeah. they're alive pap." Sans may need to find a religion if only so he could have someone to thank for this.

* * *

 **A/N: In reference to the Toe Incident (this'll get long but people have been asking me to explain the socks joke so here I go)**

 **So a couple of years back there was a joke trend among the monsters. Similar to the "knock the back of the knees to make them fall" joke that humans have, monsters would pull each others' toes. It would be random and it only actually worked on monsters that had toes. A monster would come up to another and when they're not paying attention, yank on a single toe either to trip them up or generally feel uncomfortable. It was just a joke.**

 **Well it kept happening to all of the monsters. It was going crazy to the point that it wasn't even particularly hilarious anymore but people continued to do it when the opportunity arose. Even King Asgore was no immune to the joke.**

 **So the monsters started wearing socks on their feet. If one couldn't grab a specific toe, then the joke was left moot. The socks helped…but then it really got out of hand. Now the joke took on a new challenge: get to the toes through the socks. People would yank socks off just to pull toes. It was utter chaos and stupidity.**

 **The monsters started developing trust issues. Wearing socks was like wearing protection. And taking off your socks in front of another person? It was considered a great sign of trust. Well over the years it started to develop into something of a…personal thing. Like if a human takes off their bra around you. It was a sign of comfort and trust but it was also scandalous. The socks were like seeing underwear.**

 **And that's the story.**

 **(Also, Frisk doesn't actually know this. In the game it's the narrator calling it scandalous, not Frisk. So Frisk still has no idea.)**  
 **(Also Also, Toriel was not aware of this trend. She just wears socks because it gets damp in the Ruins. She's in on the joke now but that was because the monsters pulled the joke on her a lot. It's culture by this point. Nobody really wants to explain the stupid past time to Frisk.)**


	4. Strength and Death

**A/N:**

 **VIII: Strength**

" _...the shadow self is comprised of all of the parts of ourselves that we dislike, don't value, and are ashamed of. These parts, [s]he says, are not bad in and of themselves; rather, they are aspects of ourselves that have been wounded. If ignored or repressed, they become infected. After a while, they grow so large that they burst...showing up in our lives in inappropriate and even destructive ways. This approach, [s]he insists, will never work in the long run._

 _Instead, [s]he counsels that we approach our inner monsters with compassion, because that makes it easer to determine what caused the damage in the first place. Once we identify the root cause, we can remove it...Yes, it hurts, and yes, it is scary. The lion will probably roar -you may even get scratched or bitten. But it must be done, for only then can the healing begin. From this healing comes strength."_

* * *

It had only been a few minutes and the shaking had only just started to leave Sans's bones. Papyrus had carefully carried Frisk's limp form over to the couch and laid them across it with their head in his lap. Even though Frisk no longer needed the metal cube anymore Papyrus made sure the human still kept it in their hand. Sans had watched them both for a few long moments to make sure they were alright (as alright as any of them can be in this situation) before he stood up to go back to his worktop. He first washed his hands and then the used beakers before going to the med-kit he kept down in this lab for safety reasons.

With the kit safely in hand he approached his brother and pulled a stool over to sit in front of Frisk. He gently lifted their arm and pushed their sleeve up. He heard Papyrus audibly swallow. Frisk's would was nothing like Sans had seen before. It wasn't too deep and the bleeding was rather sluggish. Still the blood was enough to soak the sleeve. Sans could still smell the concoction he had poured onto their arm. He wasn't sure what would happen to the goop if the water dried up so the very first thing he did was clean the wound of all traces of the potion. Getting rid of the sweater probably would be a better idea but he didn't have a change of clothing for the human. Maybe his coat?

"SANS?" Papyrus asked quietly. Sans glanced at his brother to show he was listening before returning his focus to bandaging the kid. Papyrus seemed to be fighting with himself for a few moments before he declared, "THAT WAS FUCKING TERRIFYING!"

Sans snorted with laughter and couldn't help the startled giggles that broke from him. Papyrus unusually got on him about his swearing. This situation certainly called for some harsher words. "damn straight, pap."

"WILL FRISK...BE OKAY NOW?"

Sans sighed and wrapped up the arm. He didn't think it would scar, but he's not exactly a professional on skin let alone humans. "i think so. they're not dead. it's probably better that they just passed out." His voice was trembling slightly. "fuck, i'm not surprised. didn't think it would hurt that much. that scream..." Sans didn't want to think about it. Frisk wasn't a loud child and even when injured he had never heard them shout that loudly. It was still ringing in his skull. He wanted to cover his ears and block it out. He had never wanted to know what Frisk sounded like in so much pain.

"I HAVE NEVER HEARD FRISK SOUND LIKE THAT BEFORE." Papyrus was still shaken up. The fact that he hadn't even questioned anything that had happened since they had saved Frisk was worrisome. Papyrus liked to be generally in the middle of things. Even if he didn't understand. Sans wasn't looking forward to telling him anything because he knew he would have to confess to everything. Papyrus had been somewhat willfully ignorant of Sans and his "mystery" up until this point but now both brothers were aware there was no ignoring it anymore. Still Sans was completely willing to put it off as long as possible.

That was then that Frisk winced in response to Papyrus's voice. Both brothers fell quiet in response, watching as Frisk clenched their eyes shut. Papyrus pushed Frisk's bangs out of their face and called them in as quiet of a voice as he could manage.

Frisk opened their eyes and allowed them to travel between the two skeletons. There was a haziness in their features but Sans could see they were very much aware. That was enough to bring a smile of relief to his face which Frisk then returned. They looked exhausted.

Sans finished tying off the bandage as he questioned Frisk about how they felt. They seemed more interested in their arm. Admittedly it didn't look fantastic and Sans was glad he had finished patching it up before they could get a look at it. The strange zigzag of it was ugly. The tint left over from the goopy mixture didn't help. Fuck, Toriel was gonna be pissed.

Frisk finally spoke but it made Sans almost wince to hear it. It sounded like someone took sandpaper to it. It wasn't unlike when Frisk was sick. That scream must have torn up their throat. When Papyrus asked for it, Sans pointed out the sink for water. When his brother was preoccupied Sans took the moment to really study Frisk.

When they were like this, they looked so open. Frisk couldn't muster up any type of expression. "...what happened to you, frisk?" He whispered as he tapped his forehead to theirs and stared into their eyes. What the hell had Frisk encountered in that strange room? Why had they been able to see a door there? What _was_ that room? Why did Frisk's wound look so much like Gaster had before he...? "i haven't seen anything like that since..." He couldn't even bear to finish the thought.

But Frisk dodged the question with a joke. Sans wasn't going to accept that at all but Papyrus had come back so Sans had to give up for now. He sat back on the stool as Papyrus helped the child sit up and drink the water. It seemed to hurt them but water was the best for humans going by the medical texts he had read.

There was a change in the atmosphere. Sans stood up in alarm and glanced around. This wasn't a physical change. This was more along the lines of a time alteration. He had felt something similar to it when Frisk would RESET. It was the feeling of being underwater and the expectation of something. The question was finding out what that something was. And also more importantly why he was sensing it now.

He approached his machine and lifted the sheet to scan over it. He had worked on it a little last night (Saturday) before he had gone to the comedy gig. All of that work was currently gone which could only mean that they were not in the same day. _Shit._ That would explain the weird feeling. The time stream was being altered. His head was throbbing and he closed his eyes to lean his skull against the cool metal of the machine. Thoughts and ideas flowed through his head. He tried to remember if there were any other cues that he could look for to find out the exact date. He didn't keep a log book or any of that but maybe he could look at his notes?

A note...Wait. Didn't he just yesterday read a note...? He frowned and stuffed his hands into his pants pocket. He sifted through condiment packages and an old hotdog as well as some dog residue before finding the crumpled up paper he was going for. He opened up the paper and the words swam in his vision momentarily before they settled into the familiar Wing Dings writing.

 **Watch out for Frisk.**

 _Too late for that_ , he thought. Where had he even gotten this note from? He had the strange fuzzy memory of coming down here yesterday earlier on in the day just to get something...but he couldn't quite remember what. Was it then? It probably was, knowing himself. Speaking of, when the hell was it? Clearly it was no longer Sunday. He wrapped the note with blue magic and pushed it over and onto the counter before he went back over to join his companions.

"i'll be right back. you two stay here."

"WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Papyrus looked worried. Frisk seemed to notice as well as they placed a hand on Papyrus's forearm. The skeleton then took it into his own hands. That was a bit of a relief. Sans could count on Frisk to watch over Papyrus while he scoped things out.

"gonna look around." Sans glanced back at the machine. The strange wobbly sensation of altering time was really bothering him. He just wanted to figure out the date and then plan what to do next. "who know when we are."

"'WHEN'?" Papyrus questioned.

Sans didn't respond and then shot a look at Frisk. Hopefully they understood that he was leaving Papyrus in their care. He then turned and hurried up the stairs before carefully slipping outside. It was winter which meant the time zone had been narrowed down into approximately the past three months. Many things have happened in that time including but not limited to Frisk's SAVE. Were they possibly back in December? That would be a pain in the ass.

First things first. He casually walked around front and into the house. Sans wasn't a genius in his own opinion. However he was rather attentive to little details. It was what made him good at his job. He could catch the tiny things that slipped through the cracks but that usually meant he missed a lot of the bigger picture. It was a flaw and a talent. So walking into his own house he was able to spot the differences from this morning easily. The blanket was no longer on the couch meaning Frisk hadn't slept over. However that doesn't narrow it down much more. The kitchen was spotless. Papyrus had time to clean up. Again, not useful. He needed to go upstairs.

Papyrus and Sans didn't keep much in terms of a calendar. Sans because he didn't particularly care and Papyrus because he was just good at keeping track of the dates by himself. Still if Sans was going to find out a little better information then Papyrus's room would be best. Papyrus maintained a steady flow of messiness in his room. He cleans it every day when he's done with his things but where he puts everything back is the key. On weekends when he doesn't work at the school Papyrus likes to spread his action figures out among the room so he can reenact some of his favorite scenes from Mettaton television shows (and many other things). Today was such an example. There was a war going on in Papyrus's room today –put on pause considering the skeleton himself was not there- which meant it was at least Saturday or Sunday.

Now Sans just needed a date. He approached Papyrus's computer and pressed the button to power it on before spinning idly in the chair. This time travel stuff wasn't fun. At least, not how Frisk did it. It seemed to have hurt them. To think that Sans a long time ago wanted to master time travel. Nowadays all he wanted was for time to go forward and to never stop again. Frankly he was tired of all this bullshit. He was still a young skeleton and already he was acting like an old man.

Gaster probably wouldn't have minded. The thought of time travel had made the guy go a bit crazy. Not in a bad way, though, just in a fanatic way. Sans had been much the same but he had been a younger guy then. Gaster would've probably already have figured out the goop in the lab and what had possibly happened to Frisk. He may have even liked Frisk.

Sans typed in Papyrus's password before rubbing his eye sockets with the heels of his hands. Maybe Gaster wouldn't like Frisk. The kid wasn't especially smart but neither were they an idiot. However Gaster wasn't the greatest with children. He didn't have the tolerance for them. His mind had always gone a mile a minute and Sans had felt proud being in that spotlight of his attention. The famous Dr. W.D. Gaster. Sans really missed the guy. Shit would be a lot easier with him around.

It only took a quick look at the date and time in the corner of the computer to figure out that the kid hadn't been too far off-base with getting them back to the correct timeline. Hell, even the correct universe. (He could still see the anger on his own face from the Judgement Hall. So that's what Frisk saw whenever Sans allowed the magic to burn in his socket.) It was Saturday the day before all of this shit happened. Perhaps that explained why Sans and Frisk had screwed up memories? Fluctuations in the time stream? Honestly Sans didn't know all of the effects of time travel. If Frisk's RESETS and SAVES could rip holes in space, what's to say time travel didn't erase memories?

Sans powered down the computer and stood up. He needed to get back to the lab. He noticed right before he left the room that Papyrus's pillows and blankets were still on his bed. This caused Sans to hesitate. Maybe he _had_ been the one to steal his brother's stuff? Just in a different way than he had expected? ...No maybe it would be best to just leave them. Time would possibly sort itself out. And why would he even need those things anyway?

Sans left the house and returned to the lab. He looked around to make sure nobody was nearby -but he noticed footprints on the ground. Were they his? They looked like his but there were so many- and he entered the stairway. Papyrus and Frisk were right where Sans had left them only Frisk looked significantly better. Papyrus seemed disgruntled about something. He announced his findings to them but both of them reacted like they already knew.

"THERE WERE TWO OF YOU." Papryus explained and Sans froze before the foggy memories of yesterday in his head began to melt away.

"oh. yeah, i remember now." Sans felt a grin pulled at his face as he winked at Frisk. "fartmaster." He remembered now how he got the note and a glance at the counter confirmed it. How trippy was that, though, remembering events he hadn't technically been here for? To himself he laughed about Frisk using their code word. Totally owned. But not the time to tell them. Maybe he'll tell them later how stupid that code word is. Or maybe he won't.

Sans plopped down on the couch and found himself a little tightly pressed against the human. He wiped down his sweaty skull with his handkerchief. If he was to keep the time stream steady and hopefully not cause any paradoxes, then they would all have to stay hidden here in the lab. He already knew that he and Frisk would not be coming down here for the rest of today so they were safe here from any intruders. He informed his companions of this information. Frisk shifted uncomfortably but Papyrus seemed a bit ecstatic as he exclaimed about an extended sleepover. Sans smiled at his brother. It honestly was great to have his happy-go-lucky attitude around right now. Papyrus was a real star in Sans's book and if they were alone he may have actually given him a hug. A tight hug. One that he didn't want to let go of any time soon in hopes that Papyrus wouldn't question anything.

Speaking of questions...

"so buddy." Sans said and Frisk stared pointed at their lap. "wanna tell us what happened behind that wall?"

"YEAH! HOW DID YOU MAKE A DOOR APPEAR? AND THERE WAS A ROOM BEHIND IT!" Papyrus agreed. "IF IT'S SOME KIND OF HUMAN MAGIC…CAN YOU TELL ME HOW YOU DID IT?" Whatever that shit had been, it certainly wasn't human magic. Sans doubted it was even monster magic. That had been something else entirely.

Frisk didn't respond though. Papyrus looked to Sans but Sans was staring at Frisk. The kid wasn't caving. "...frisk." He tried again. Still Frisk did not talk.

"MAYBE THEIR THROAT STILL HURTS." Papyrus suggested thoughtfully. "MAYBE INSTEAD….YOU COULD TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED? I SEEM TO BE…OUT OF THE LOOP?" He had suggested it gently enough -like a person wanting to pet a scared animal- but it still made Sans cringe at the thought. No, he was definitely going to put off that conversation for as long as possible. Hopefully until after the day was up and they could all leave the lab and Sans could distract Papyrus with other things. Or maybe when Frisk wasn't there. This kid really didn't need any more emotional trauma for the day.

But Sans was still going to make them talk about this. "frisk's explanation would probably take less time. com'on bucko." Frisk may be trying to avoid Sans's questions as much as Sans was trying to avoid Papyrus's questions but Sans was more persistent. Especially about crap like this. He nudged Frisk in a playful way despite not actually finding any of this amusing. Frisk shook their head and Sans dropped all pretense of the buddy-buddyness. "Frisk." He said in his "serious" voice. The kid flinched and caved.

"...You won't like it."

"I don't like anything about this situation." He stated flatly. This whole situation was fucked up and quite frankly he was reaching the end of his rope.

Frisk opened their mouth ready to speak but still nothing came out for a long moment. They closed their mouth and shot a desperate glance at Papyrus -there was no way in _hell_ Sans was going to allow Papyrus to rescue this child- but Papyrus seemed interested in the answer as well. Even if he was rather more reluctantly waiting for it. Sans could see the stress building on his brother's face. Finally Frisk gave in and said the last thing Sans expected them to say: "…Gaster."

...What? Why would...How could...? "what about him?" He demanded instead. Papyrus questioned who Gaster was but Sans brushed him off a little rudely. But then again he really was going to explain who he was later. Papyrus wilted slightly but conceded. Then Frisk began to explain everything that had happened to them. They didn't bother to censor their words around Papyrus considering the skeleton was going to find out one way or another soon anyway.

They explained about the "grey monsters" who they, like Sans, had guessed were the erased monsters. Sans kept his face neutral as Frisk told him about what they encountered in the strange room. Gaster in all of his lack of entirety. Sans wanted to ask Frisk to describe what they meant by "he wasn't all there" but he became too caught up in the fact that Gaster apparently _wanted Frisk's body_.

Sans felt the human's grip around his fingers tighten and Sans gripped it back. It was steadying even as he listened to this insanity. Frisk had been offered the choice to bring back all of the erased monsters - _supposedly_ , Sans corrected mentally because it was _insane_ \- in exchange for their body and possibly soul. But Frisk had refused and Gaster had attacked. Somehow he had grabbed Chara's voice -the one voice that could possibly hurt Frisk the most- and he had almost erased...!

Sans released Frisk and ran his hands over his skull hardly noticing that he was mumbling, "he was taking your body. i can't believe…" No, what was there to not believe? Gaster loved getting results in any way possible. He worked hard and did many great things but some of those things came at a cost. Missing monsters and failed Determination experiments. Parts of the Core blowing out from experiments in monster dust that Sans couldn't bring himself to talk about with anyone. If Gaster had some kind of crazy plan to undo the erasure then of course he would go for it. Even if it meant taking a child. It wasn't like it was the first time monsters had used children in dastardly ways for the "greater good". "…no. no i can believe it."

Fuck, but they had both almost lost Frisk. Gaster had targeted the right human if he went after Frisk. The amount of determination in such a small body combined with whatever fucking powers Gaster would achieve by absorbing a human soul...it was horrifying to think about. Frisk had described to Sans what Asriel had said happened to him and Chara. About how Chara was still alive inside of Asriel despite everything. Which meant that Frisk would've possibly still been alive inside of Gaster but that was just...he couldn't even fathom it. It would no longer be Frisk and Gaster...Gaster is clearly insane now. Not surprising considering the omniscience.

"Sans..." Frisk's quiet voice broke through Sans's thoughts and he responded a bit angrily. Frisk flinched away but Sans couldn't help it. This was madness. Gaster's plan would not work. There was no guarantee that Frisk giving up their body and soul would return all of the erased monsters. Hell, if Gaster could see all of time and space, then wasn't there a universe where Frisk said yes? What the fuck did it mean that Gaster still existed outside of time and space if Frisk fucking said yes? On top of that, Gaster _couldn't have Frisk_. Not his little buddy. He missed Gaster a lot but Frisk...Frisk was like Sans. And if Frisk gave up then what would Sans do?

The kid wasn't done talking, though. "Gaster…..told me something about the machine." Sans immediately looked at them. They were fidgeting and looked scared as they avoided Sans's eyes. Were they expecting him to be angry at them? Or was what they about to say that bad? Please let it be the first. But of course it wasn't. "….He said it will never be fixed." The breath froze in Sans's chest. What...? That machine wouldn't...? It must be a mistake. "He can….he's seen it….in the time streams….you can't…." Frisk trailed off but it was enough.

"S-SANS." Sans faintly heard Papyrus call. He shook his head though and barely felt himself stand. Was this shock?

"i..." The machine would never work. That was why Gaster had tried to find a different way to save himself. Sans wouldn't be able to do it. It was like fucking God himself had come to tell him he was a fuck up. "never?" The words escaped from him mouth. That machine...the machine would never be fixed? "i have…worked on that machine for years….day after day…" Sans could feel his fingers scraping across his skull but the feeling didn't even register as pain. Vaguely -somewhere in the back of his mind- he realized that he was losing control and he was losing it quickly. But it wasn't strong enough to stop him.

That fucking machine had ruled his life for years. His only hope of saving his friend and all of those people. It hadn't even been some kind of fucked up heroic thing. He just wanted to be useful. But now? Now he wanted to destroy everything. If it was for naught, then he would erase that goddamn machine from existence. Let it join its master in the abyss for all he cared. He wanted it GONE. "i…that thing….has been my job for….fuck….for so long…and you're telling me…" He threw his hands down and magic erupted from his eye. **"that it was all POINTLESS?!"**

Bones erupted everywhere and filled Sans with a sick sense of joy. Yes, this was exactly what he wanted. The crushing sound of everything he loved about this place was being destroyed around him. It was better than ripping it apart with his hands. He couldn't hear anything over the screaming in his head. His magic voicing its own anger in a symphony that only he could hear. His own voice slipped in to harmonize with it. It was delicious. This was better than fighting Chara. Losing control once in a while felt _great._ He never felt more alive and he was going to destroy everything about this room.

But something was fighting back his bones. He could sense another magic. It was familiar but it was in his way. Crush it. That's what he needed to do. But no, that was his br-

 _Destroy it_. A voice hissed. His own? He didn't know. Gaster's voice? Was that bastard somehow talking to him from another dimension? He had managed to gather himself enough to fucking attack Frisk. **"Why?"** He mumbled to himself aloud. **"I worked so hard. I tried so hard to save him. And that bastard tried to, what, take my best friend? Kill them? He almost took everything from me."** Destroy it? Sans will do it. He'll crush everything in this room. He would make sure nothing was left. Dust everywhere. Even his own if that's what it came to!

" **He almost took my brother. He took my first best friend and now he wants my second? And now…"** The shrieking in his head was getting louder. It was starting to sound like the screams of monsters. The same sound he heard over and over in genocide timelines. Was his scream to be added to them? **"now he's taken my fucking purpose in life."** Sans muttered.

"SANS!" Papyrus's voice broke through the sounds of everything falling apart around Sans. Almost instinctively he focused on his brother's voice. "IF YOU HONESTLY THINK YOUR ONLY PURPOSE IN LIFE IS A MACHINE…THEN YOU NEED TO JOIN ME AND ALPHYS IN TRAINING! STARTING TOMORROW!" Papyrus grunted. "ACTUALLY, STARTING NOW!"

Training? Sans hated training. He hated doing much anything actually. Was this Papyrus trying to increase his health again? **"i...i..."**

"YOU'RE MY FAVORITE BROTHER! WHICH IS GOOD BECAUSE YOU'RE MY ONLY BROTHER! AND YOU'RE AWESOME SANS! JUST LIKE ME! WE'RE BOTH AWESOME! SO…SO GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF! IF YOU DON'T….I'LL HAVE TO USE MY SPECIAL ATTACK ON YOU!" Papyrus shouted.

All of his attacks were being blocked. He could feel the bones jolting off of something. Someone else's magic. Papyrus. Of course it was Papyrus. Both him and Frisk were in the room with him! Shit, what was he _doing_? Why was he just flinging his attacks willy-nilly? He was running out of magic. **"No!"** Sans finally looked up for the first time and through his tears he could see Frisk and Papyrus. Papyrus was batting Sans's attacks out of the way. Why was he defending the machine? Why was he trying to stop him? Sans wouldn't allow it. **"Get out of the way!"** Sans screamed and he wrapped his magic around Papyrus and Frisk both. He would get them out of harm's way and then he was going to waste that machine. He would make sure that machine really gets crushed. Even if Sans had to destroy himself to get rid of it!

But Papyrus covered Sans's magic with his own blue magic. His magic held both he and Frisk to the ground. Neither were moving. Why weren't they moving?! Stop fighting back! **"Move!"** Sans shouted again. What weren't they getting? They were going to be killed if they stayed there!

But Papyrus shook his head. There were luminescent tears in his eyes. "NO, SANS! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO YOURSELF! THIS IS…THIS PLACE….I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS! BUT IT LOOKS SUPER SCIENCE-Y AND I KNOW YOU LOVE THAT STUFF! WHICH MEANS YOU LOVE THIS PLACE! WHICH MEANS I CAN'T LET YOU DESTROY IT!"

Sans didn't love this place anymore. He hated it with every fiber of his being. Every dust particle and every drop of magic loathed this place and everything in it. It was Gaster's lab now. And that machine was the crux of his problems. **"I am going to destroy that piece of shit machine!"** He summoned up four of his blasters. They came willingly and almost excitedly. Their lasers began to charge as his hatred powered them. He focused on the machine. It can't survive this attack. It _can't_!

Frisk was cowering behind Papyrus. Papyrus was holding firm though as he bodily protected Frisk and the machine. The tears were rolling down his cheekbones now as he spread his arms. Was he going to try to take the attack? Did he not realize just how powerful these lasers were? He couldn't stop them now. They were honed in on the machine and everything in their way would be obliterated. But Papyrus and Frisk were-!

" **Move!"** Sans screamed again and the desperation in his voice couldn't be hidden. He couldn't stop the attack. He _couldn't stop the attack!_

"NO!" Papyrus shouted back firmly. It was too late. Sans dropped his face into his hands unable to watch. The blasters fired and Sans was about to lose the two things he cared about most in the world at his own hands.

But the attack was blocked. He looked up and watched with amazement and dread as Papyrus's eye burned with his own magic -something he had not been able to do in years- and his own blasters matched Sans's attack. Sans gaped and Papyrus pushed a little harder. Sans's magic crumbled under the attack and Papyrus pushed through as his blasters obliterated Sans's own. Sans's legs gave out under him and fell to the ground, his magic exhausted.

Papyrus's arms dropped and he looked almost as shocked as Sans was to see the blasters. They circled him once before fading away purposeless. "I...THAT WASN'T MY SPECIAL ATTACK..." Papyrus said in astonishment.

"pap..." Sans whispered hardly feeling his mouth moving. "you can still use the blasters..."

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HECK THOSE WERE!" Papyrus denied. "BUT THEY WERE AWESOME! WAIT." He paused. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'STILL'?"

"i taught you that attack. but….but you forgot….you can't….how can you still…." Papyrus shouldn't be able to use the blasters anymore. It shouldn't be possible to use a magic you couldn't even remember. They should've been erased from his memories along with Gaster and all of the others...

"NEVERMIND THAT! SANS, ARE YOU OKAY? DID I HURT YOU AT ALL?" Papyrus asked, worried. Why was he worrying about Sans? Sans was completely unharmed. He shook his head slowly so Papyrus turned to Frisk and gasped. "FRISK! YOU'RE BLEEDING!" Sans focused on the human and finally took in all of these details that he hadn't paid any attention to. Frisk was covered with wounds. Their hair was a mess, their clothing was ripped, and there was blood leaking from various wounds. They were exhausted and tear-stained and trembling bad enough that even Sans could see it from where he was. But more importantly their wounded arm was bleeding.

Papyrus was only a bit better. Sans could see where his brother's clothing was torn up and the crack in Papyrus's skull. There were chips and scratches all over his bones. Realization began to finally dawn on Sans and with it came the revulsion with himself. He had lost control of himself. He looked around to take in all of the damage to the room as Papyrus carried Frisk over to Sans. Sans looked at both of them and then at the machine. Other than the shredded cloth that had covered it, the machine was unharmed.

He hadn't even managed to dent it.

Sans dragged his eyes back to Frisk. They appeared scared but reluctantly so. "frisk..." He called and he moved to fix their bandage but Frisk flinched away. It was like a slap in the face and looking at his own hand the gravity finally began to hit him. He looked at Frisk closer this time and remembered how scared they were just at the thought of his magic. The fear that stemmed from the times Sans had gone all out against them. And now they had seen him truly at a loss of control.

It felt like the final failure.

"i….oh my god." Everything was sinking in now. His body began to shake harder. He could hear his bones rattling lightly. What had he done? "pap…frisk…i….oh god. oh god i almost killed you both!"

"N-NO YOU DIDN'T!" Papyrus denied quickly and he reached for his brother. Sans tried to pull away -he didn't _deserve_ this!- but Papyrus yanked him, as well as Frisk, into a hug. "YOU WOULD NEVER HURT US ON PURPOSE!"

No, it hadn't been on purpose. But that had only been because Sans had completely forgotten they were there. And when he did notice them he had barely cared. "fuck! fuck, bro, fuck i almost did, though. i…i didn't even think…i couldn't stop….i just wanted to….!" Sans stuttered out. If Papyrus hadn't been there...God, Frisk would've been...And Sans...

"I KNOW. IT HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US. IF IT CAN HAPPEN TO ME IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU." Papyrus soothed and Sans couldn't handle any of this anymore. Tears rolled from his eyes and he began to weep. He threw his arms around Papyrus and bawled. How was it possible that his brother could accept him like this? After everything? All of the lies and how he had just hurt them both. He didn't deserve forgiveness but here his brother was offering it anyway. Practically forcing it upon him.

Frisk made a keening noise and Sans felt small arms wrap around him and Papyrus as much as possible. Papyrus then pulled them both into a full-on hug. Sans was surrounded by his loved ones. Apologies fell from his mouth without filter. Nothing he could say would make up for this but still they came. He couldn't lose his family and judging by the grip they had on him, they weren't letting go any time soon.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **XIII: Death**

" _...In tarot, though, [Death] symbolizes the final end of something. It is not sudden, as we see in the Tower card, but is an organic conclusion, something that we have probably already felt was nearing the end in our life."  
"When the shadow of Death crosses your threshold, look into her eyes. Make room for her in your life and in your heart. Connect with her. Feel her compassion and understanding. Accept that she is a natural part of the life cycle. Allow her silence to wash over you, absorb your pain, and heal you. Pay your respects. ...All you experience is part of you; bring all of yourself forward as you move on."_


	5. Archaeology

**A/N: I warned those on tumblr already but this chapter is very dialogue heavy. But it seemed plenty of people wanted to see this conversation so I don't expect too many complaints.**

 **Also I changed most of the chapter names but they're much too long for FF so you'll have to check out AO3 to see them. They're stupid so don't waste your time. However I will post this chapter's proper name because otherwise the shortened title won't make sense.**

 _ **"Archaeology (It's a Fucking Pun. Because History Gets Dug Up Here. Also Because Skeletons Are Involved. And No, I Don't Expect a Laugh.)"**_

* * *

If he so much as moved, Frisk would flinch. If Sans breathed too deeply, the kid would startle. If he so much as twitched his finger, then the human would jump. Each time Frisk cringed -whether consciously or not- away from Sans, the thickening guilt would increase in his chest. Papyrus had to change the bandage on Frisk's arm because Sans didn't want to hurt the kid any more than he already had. The monster food they had packed didn't help to heal the human's physical wounds. The most it did was lighten a few of the rapidly-darkening bruises and to stop the bleeding of some of the nastier cuts.

It was probably better that Sans couldn't move much considering how Frisk was reacting. He had used up a ton of magic and only sheer will was keeping him awake and sitting up at this point. He wanted to collapse. His bones felt hollow and drained of any means of support. The monster food he had managed to eat did refuel him enough that he may be able to avoid becoming sick but it did nothing for his physical exhaustion. Not all of his body was magic and the parts that weren't were aching with fatigue. Luckily Papyrus had taken care of the supports for the room so they wouldn't be crushed by the house possibly collapsing.

Sans looked at Frisk. They kept darting glances at Sans but like a cornered squirrel they were twitchy and watching him for any sign of movement. Sans tried to reduce the times he needed to move. Frisk looked terrible and not just for obvious reasons. Sans had known about the kid's trauma but now he had just made it worse. Most likely he had destroyed all trust he had built up between them. He would need to get used to not having their presence by his side. Would it be like the other timeline when Frisk was gone? Would he be angry and unable to sleep? Most likely. Even more likely it would be worse because this time it was Sans's fault. In his own stupidity he had destroyed his lab and lost his best friend.

It was like Gaster all over again.

"SO." Sans looked at his brother. Papyrus looked to be trying to start some form of conversation. Since the hug had ended all of them had been sitting in silence. "WHEN, UH, CAN WE LEAVE?" He was looking around the room no doubt taking in just how trashed it really was. Sans would like nothing more than to leave this place. Especially because Frisk needed some better first aid then what the two of them could provide. He hadn't thought to actually study proper human first aid when he had skimmed those medical books (not that Frisk would let him anywhere near them to use it anyway).

Sans ran a hand over his face and sighed. "it's still daylight out. we have all night."

"GREAT. YEAH." Papyrus said in a tone that clearly meant it wasn't great. He started to push the rubble out of the way and Sans and Frisk watched him with interest. When he had cleared a good space he called Frisk over and took off his sweater before patting the crudely-made bedding. He wanted the kid to sleep. Sans understood mother hen Papyrus when he saw it. Not only was Papyrus trying to get Frisk to sleep off the worst of the shock but he was also aiming to get the two brothers "alone".

"...yeah. get some sleep, kid." Sans agreed and carefully removed his jacket (not quickly so Frisk wouldn't think he was up to something) and slid it across the distance to the human. Frisk jumped and then glared at the jacket (great.) but they still reached a shaking hand out to grab it and add it to the bedding.

However they didn't settle into it. Instead they said quietly, "...I can't." Papyrus eyed the bedding dubiously but agreed with Frisk. Sans had to admit that it looked pretty dissatisfying and rather pathetic. But it was better than nothing. At least it was some comfort for the soft human body. But that didn't seem to be Frisk's concern as they confessed to soiling themselves.

Sans looked and yes those pants really were wet. He hadn't even noticed the smell (but it's not like he really knew what piss smelled like anyway. The only reason any of their friends had bathrooms was for Frisk anyway) before this moment. Sans looked away then and swallowed. He had scared Frisk so much that they had wet themselves. God, what kind of sick fuck-

"WELL. WE'LL...UH...GET A CHANGE OF CLOTHES FOR YOU RIGHT AWAY!" Papyrus suggested and stood up.

Sans jumped on his chance to leave the room. That way Frisk could have some time away from Sans and Sans could breathe a little through his guilt. "wait, bro, i'll go-"

But Papyrus held up his hand and denied it saying he would do it instead. Before Sans could even begin to protest this decision, his long-legged brother had already bounded away up the stairs and exited the basement. Sans stared at the wall. He heard Frisk shift. Neither of them spoke for a long time. The kid probably wasn't comfortable in their soiled clothing. Sans didn't keep anything down here in terms of spare clothing but at least he could contribute to helping the child in some way.

He sighed and didn't missed the way Frisk startled at the sudden sound. Great. "the...uh...sink." He suggested and cleared his throat as he nodded to his work station. It was a mess but the sink looked relatively intact. The pipes seemed okay so the water possibly still worked. Hopefully. "...looks like it still works. you can wear my lab coat to, uh, cover up." He honestly didn't get much in terms of human nakedness but apparently genital showing for those with genitals was a no-go. He didn't get what the big deal was but he certainly wasn't going to question it. Skeletons didn't have that problem.

Frisk seemed to agree as they shakily climbed to their feet -and almost collapsed again along the way. They must be exhausted- and walked over to the sink. They made their way carefully around the debris and Sans watched them. Frisk looked around them for the lab coat but then their eyes rested on a familiar photo album. Sans had kept that in one of the drawers but now it was wrecked and falling apart. The pictures were still somewhat visible. He couldn't name the feelings itching at his ribs as his gaze fell onto the album.

So instead he tore his eyes away to look at Frisk's reaction to the pictures. He didn't know what they were specifically looking at but there was a familiar look of regret forming in their features. That look never spelled anything good for anyone. He could practically see the connections they were making and the idiotic ideas they were forming.

"stop." He commanded and Frisk startled badly again and faced Sans. Their eyes were wide -caught. Sans reluctantly understood their feelings. He had looked so happy back then. But things were different now. A lot different. The pedestal he had built for Gaster was destroyed along with this room. Sans was left floundering out at sea unable to know where to go from here. He had hit rock bottom. What was that phrase Papyrus liked to say? About going from the ground up? How was Sans supposed to do that when Gaster had ruled basically everything about his life? He had built Sans up and had ruined him. Outside of his relationship with his friends, Sans was a nobody. Everyone knew him but few people actually _knew_ him. And the two people that really did? One was terrified of him and the other would come to hate...well...dislike him soon enough. (Papyrus didn't seem to have the capacity to hate. It did little in terms of soothing Sans's mind.) Sans didn't have any choice left in his life.

"You didn't lose me." Sans looked up at Frisk. They were staring at him with that determined face. The one he both loved and hated. Which meant that they weren't lying to him. It hardly seemed possible but maybe Frisk didn't hate him? He didn't dare hope but Frisk was approaching him. They kneeled in front of him as Sans watched them warily and they seemed to consider something before asking, "…If I went away for a year, would you notice and remember me?"

What the hell was that supposed to mean? The non-sequitur had thrown him enough that he answered honestly, "yeah...? of course."

"Remember me in a month?"

This was getting strange. "yeah. kid, what-?"

But Frisk cut him off. "Remember me in a week?"

"i'd notice you gone right away." It was the truth, of course. Sans was almost embarrassingly aware of Frisk's current whereabouts at most times. Generally speaking, though, not in a creeper kind of way. He could pick it up enough by the way his friends interacted with him -especially Tori.

Still Frisk seemed surprised by this answer. They recovered and searched around for a scrap piece of wood -most likely from the couch- and knocked on it. "Knock knock."

Now Sans was completely lost. A joke? Right now? Still, though, he was required to ask, "who's there?"

Frisk gave a mock disappointed look complete with a click of their tongue. "You forgot me already."

Sans could only gape before a snort of laughter escaped him. Frisk had just made a joke. Right then and there. They had even delivered a set-up for it and everything! It was amazing. And also totally inappropriate considering the circumstances. But he grinned anyway because he had to admit it was pretty good. "that isn't funny, buddy."

Frisk's eyes crinkled a little with mirth. Not quite laughter but definitely relief. "You laughed."

"...okay it's pretty funny." Sans conceded, "but also not cool."

"Knock knock." Frisk said instead.

"getting a lot of visitors today." Frisk pouted and knocked on the wood a little more insistently. His guest apparently didn't want to wait. He grinned in anticipation and asked, "who's there?"

"Olive."

This one was new. "olive who?"

Frisk reached out and cupped Sans's cheekbone -the one they had made the promise on- with a slightly-trembling hand and responded sincerely, "Olive you." Sans stared as the pun processed in his head. That...he hadn't been expecting that and humiliatingly enough he could feel himself blushing. Frisk gaped now and Sans blushed all the harder in embarrassment at being caught even as Frisk themselves began to turn a little red. He didn't often blush because he didn't get embarrassed easily. But things like this? They occasionally got him. Especially when he wasn't expecting it.

He ducked his head in an effort to hide and chuckled. "h-heh heh. good one kid." It was a cheesy joke but those kinds weren't bad at all. He had to hand it to the kid. "hey, uh, why don' you wash up? before pap gets back. heh." Frisk hesitated only a moment to recover before they thankfully hurried back over to the sink to clean up. Sans took a deep breath, held it, and willed the blush away before he breathed out.

That had been surprising but Sans saw the jokes for what they really were: reassurance. He hadn't destroyed their friendship. Frisk had always been a tough child and Sans really shouldn't have doubted that they would recover from this as well. But. But he would've deserved Frisk's hatred. He had nearly killed them and Papyrus. Would Frisk have been able to load their SAVE if Sans had killed them? Where would they even end up?

Would he have even remembered what he had done? Would Frisk need to tell him? Would Frisk bother to tell him the truth about Gaster after seeing his reaction to it? He wasn't completely certain that he wouldn't freak out again. The stress of the incident in the Core and the jumping wouldn't be there but he wouldn't take it easily either way. If Papyrus hadn't been there...Sans or Frisk...or both of them...would probably be dead. Or killed.

A knock brought him out of his depressing musings and he remembered that Papyrus wouldn't be able to get back in. Sans tried to climb to his feet but his body protested every moment. Frisk took over the job instead, closing the front of the lab coat around them and hurrying up the stairs. Sans watched them and saw a bit more than he was expecting and quickly looked away for the sake of Frisk's privacy. Human butts were weird; especially because Sans knew that he and Papyrus would have them if they were human. He couldn't imagine it.

Papyrus came into the room before Frisk carrying a bundle of pillows and blankets. Frisk followed after wearing some of Sans's older pajama bottoms. "I ALSO BROUGHT PILLOWS AND BLANKETS FROM MY ROOM." The skeleton announced as he threw the items on the ground.

Sans eyed the pile. Would this cause problems? "uh, pap, you gotta be careful. we can't mess with time too much." Sans warned.

"NO WORRIES! THESE WERE GONE WHEN I GOT HOME YESTERDAY! I JUST ASSUMED YOU STOLE THEM FOR YOUR PRANKS, REMEMBER?" Papyrus grinned.

"oh. right." So that's what happened to Papyrus's stuff. Sans knew that time would sort itself out somehow. "s'fine then."

Papyrus dropped to the head of the sleeping pile and patted it calling the human over. Frisk didn't have any reason to protest and laid down on the nest. Papyrus's hand found their hair and began to stroke it like Sans had told him humans strangely liked. His brother grinned at him and Sans smiled back knowing that Papyrus probably liked the petting as much as Sans and Frisk did. Frisk shot a look of betrayal at Sans which he skillfully ignored in favor of Papyrus.

"so bro. you just head into the house?" Sans asked.

"YES, ACTUALLY! I HAD TO DIG THROUGH THAT MESS YOU CALL A ROOM TO FIND THOSE PJS." Sans hadn't even known he still owned pajamas. You learn something every day. "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST KEEP IT CLEAN WHEN YOU MADE FRISK CLEAN IT?"

"what are you talking about? it is clean."

"NO, IT CLEARLY ISN'T!"

"bro, i don't think you understand." The grin threatened his face. "are we having a mis- _clean-_ nication?"

"AGH! THAT WAS TERRIBLE! YOU NEED TO CLEAN THAT HORRIBLE MESS WHEN WE GET BACK TO TOMORROW!"

"is that _pun_ ishment?"

"YES!"

"funny enough, i went into your room when i left." Sans brought the subject back around.

"REALLY?"

"yeah. what kind of war you doing in there, pap?"

"ACTUALLY," Papyrus grinned happy to tell his tales. Sans relaxed back onto his elbows and listened as Papyrus recounted a great human war about civil ties and something about humans using the power to literally rip a country in half. It didn't sound super likely but Papyrus's version of the story was probably one thousand times better than whatever they described on the television. When he had finished Sans was significantly amused and actually interested to see how the war in Papyrus's room would play out. When they got back to tomorrow, he reminded himself.

A peaceful silence fell over the two and Papyrus looked down at Frisk. The child was breathing deeply and easily. The exhaustion was clearer on their slack face. Both brothers watched the human and neither spoke. Sans knew he would have to start but he just didn't want to. He wanted to put off this conversation for as long as possible.

"hey papyrus, you didn't happen to-"

"SANS." Sans fell silent and Papyrus met his gaze with understanding eyes. "BROTHER, I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THAT YOU KEPT THINGS FROM ME. EVERYBODY HAS THEIR SECRETS AND I WASN'T GOING TO PUSH YOU BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU WOULD TELL ME YOURSELF. BUT...NOW I AM PUSHING. BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT AND DOESN'T JUST INVOLVE YOU." Papyrus paused and considered his words. Sans didn't like it when Papyrus was so serious. He liked his brother as the silly awesome skeleton he was. "...I'M NOT...I'M AN ADULT NOW, SANS. AND I KNOW YOU WANT TO PROTECT ME FROM THINGS...BUT I WANT TO PROTECT YOU TOO! OR, AT LEAST, TAKE CARE OF YOU WHEN I CAN'T PROTECT YOU. YOU CAN RELY ON THE GREAT PAPYRUS!" He grinned. "RIGHT?"

Sans gave a soft laugh. "yeah, bro. i know...but this isn't...this is heavy stuff."

"THEN OF COURSE YOU CAN'T CARRY IT YOURSELF! YOU'RE TOO LAZY!" He reached forward and put a hand on Sans's shoulder and smiled encouragingly at his brother.

Papyrus was so ridiculous. Sans loved him so much. He was terrified about how much what he was going to say would affect their relationship. One foot at a time. "...i've been lying to you. for a long time." He confessed. Papyrus waited and Sans closed his eyes before continuing, "i've never wanted to be a dentist."

'WHAT?!" Papyrus cried. "BUT YOU'VE BEEN STUDYING FOR SO LONG! WHY?"

"it was a lie." Sans said. "i had to tell you something to fill in the gaps in your memory." At Papyrus's baffled look Sans shook his head. "...it's related to gaster. and i'll get to it."

"SANS...WHO _IS_ GASTER? IS IT SOMEONE BAD? HE HURT FRISK."

Sans ran a hand over his skull. "...gaster is...was...a friend of mine. a good friend. he was the royal scientist before alphys was." This was going to become long-winded. Sans didn't really care for monologuing. "a while back -a couple of years before you and i joined the guard and started sentry duty in snowdin- we were in school. and while we were in school, gaster discovered some of my theses on quantum physics and the relation to...time travel. it caught his attention and he approached me about it and offered a position with him. not a real job but...a hobby. kind of. with me so far?"

Papyrus nodded. "AND I KNEW HIM TOO?"

"yeah. you were ecstatic to see me working so hard. you and gaster were fine with each other but gaster was more interested in his work rather than interacting with people. those he did interact with were, uh, very knowledgeable in their fields. or were family friends. this was all before alphys joined, though. gaster taught me a lot of my attacks and i taught them to you. 'cept he didn't use bones or blue magic." Sans gazed up at the ceiling. "back then i was a different kind of lazy. still lazy but...not nearly as..." he searched for a word and failed to find an accurate one, "bad."

"I CAN'T REALLY IMAGINE YOU BEING LESS LAZY."

"ditto. but it's true. maybe it was because i was doing something i really wanted to do?" He mused aloud. "gaster and me worked on these projects. we wanted to master time travel."

"WHY?"

Sans looked at him. "so i can slack off as long as i want." He joked.

Papyrus scoffed. "IF YOU COULD CONTROL TIME YOU WOULD NEVER ACTUALLY DO YOUR WORK! YOU'D JUST...KEEP MAKING TIME GO IN CIRCLES OR SOMETHING! NEVER ENDING CYCLE OF SLACKING!"

"heh. maybe. but that was a long time ago. things're different now. gaster never told me his real reason for being so interested. he probably just wanted to see if it worked. he was that kind of guy: knowledge for knowledge's sake. sometimes though we would joke about going back to before the war and stopping the humans from sealing the monsters. you actually suggested that, bro."

"IT CERTAINLY SOUNDS LIKE ME!" Papyrus agreed cheerfully.

"heh heh heh, right? it just made our work all the more important y'know? it's better than the other option."

"...THE HUMAN SOULS, RIGHT?"

"yeah." Sans paused and thought for a moment. "hey pap...did you ever learn about the human souls?"

Papyrus gave him a confused look. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"...about what would've happened to frisk if you had managed to send them to the capital."

"I'M SURE ASGORE WOULD'VE LET THEM GO!" Sans slowly shook his head. "BUT ASGORE LOVES CHILDREN!"

This was worse than Sans thought. He had assumed that Papyrus had been willfully ignorant of what happened to the humans. The captured ones anyway. He reluctantly decided to tell him, "papyrus...the humans taken to the capital would be killed. for their souls. that was undyne's job. and it's the job you wanted."

Papyrus fell silent. Sans could see the confliction on his face as his brother went over past memories in his head. He really hadn't wanted to tell him but Papyrus wouldn't accept anything less than the truth right now. Finally Papyrus opened his mouth, "...OH." He looked down at Frisk and his thumb brushed some hair off of their temple. He looked back at Sans. "ALL OF THEM?"

"...eventually, yes."

"...'EVENTUALLY'?"

There was sweat starting to bead on Sans's forehead. "...some of the humans...gaster took to experiment on." Papyrus gaped but didn't say anything. Sans already knew what he was thinking. "...i...helped. sometimes."

"SANS!" Papyrus gasped, quietly horrified.

"i didn't do anything bad...not like gaster...we didn't cut open the humans or anything. we just...ran tests on them. tried to understand them. the only children we managed to get were the ones that had...gained a decent amount of LOVE. this girl with the toy knife and this kid with gloves that loved to fight. they were the main ones but not the only ones. most of the children were killed before we got to them. we wanted to give them peaceful deaths but not until after gaster..." Sans swallowed and couldn't bring himself to look at Frisk. He could just imagine the child strapped to machines like the others had been. Needles in their arms and scanners on their heads. Frisk would've been the best test subject considering their determination.

"THAT'S...SANS, WHAT YOU DID WASN'T GOOD. I...I'M SORRY BUT THAT'S NOT GOOD!" Papyrus exclaimed.

"i know! i know, pap. i'm not proud of it. but...the humans needed to die anyway. to break the barrier. might as well get something even more useful out of it, right?" He tried to smile but it fell flat.

"THERE COULD'VE BEEN ANOTHER WAY!" Papyrus denied.

"that's why i worked so hard on the time machine. alphys and gaster worked on the determination experiments around this time. i couldn't handle it anymore by then. the determination experiments...they were a whole different level. things i didn't fully get back then that i get now. this is all before alphys got all of the monsters to experiment on. it was still the initial stages. they used humans first. i'm not sure how well the humans were treated. you'd...you'd have to ask alphys. but i don't think she would tell you."

"ALPHYS...KNOWS ABOUT GASTER TOO?"

Sans nodded. "we're the only two that remember him." He looked at the machine and glared at it slightly. "...you see that thing?" Papyrus turned to look at it. "that's the culmination of mine and gaster's research. that's our time machine."

"WOW! SO YOU ACTUALLY FINISHED IT?" Papyrus asked looking a little excited at the thought.

"yes and no. it was a prototype. in theory it would work. put simply, the machine would use determination and magic and would send someone back in time to key points in time. theoretically it would work the same to go forward in time. the machine itself was drawn to," Sans reached over and picked up the metal lump Frisk had left there. He tossed it up and down in his hand, "these things. they're anti-time metal. no fancy name. the machine was supposed to work like magnets with these things. they would be drawn together." He put the metal down and returned to looking at Papyrus. "...theoretically."

"YOU KEEP SAYING THAT. IT DIDN'T WORK THEN?"

"no. i can't tell you where we went wrong because i wouldn't have still been working on that damn thing if i knew. gaster wanted to test it out for himself but alphys and i didn't want him to. it was too dangerous. but this was gaster's greatest invention since the core was made-"

"GASTER MADE THE CORE?"

"yeah, sorry. forgot to mention that. but yeah. greatest invention. nothing would stop the guy from testing it...so he tested it himself." Frisk shifted in their sleep and both brothers startled into silence. Sans didn't talk while he waited for the child to settle down. When he was certain Frisk was fast asleep again he continued, "the problem that i can gather from probably hundreds of other incorrect variables was that we didn't know what determination would do to monsters. how it caused them to melt. and when gaster activated the machine and a gaseous version of determination began to fill it..." He trailed off. He could still hear Gaster's pleased cries as the determination filled him up. Alphys and Sans had been out of their minds with excitement and worry. The first job of the machine began to work well but when the second part began to activate, Gaster began to melt. His body turning to a puddle under his feet like a candle melting. And then the machine had activated and Gaster screamed as his body began to glitch out. It was just like what had happened to Frisk's arm. And then Gaster blinked out of existence taking so much with him including his own echo.

He couldn't describe that to his brother so he only told him the facts without the details. The horror of it kept him up some nights. He was certain that Alphys dreamt of it too. His mind rang with Frisk's scream as it blended with Gaster's. He squeezed his eyes shut and a hand gripping his brought him back to the present. Papyrus's eyes were a bit wet as he held Sans's hand. Sans squeezed his hand gratefully and Papyrus released him when Sans relaxed his grip.

"...when gaster disappeared, he took with him everything of his. he was erased from time itself. all of the notes he made and anything he owned was gone. monsters he was friends with were erased as well."

"THE GREY MONSTERS."

"yeah. and memories were even taken. alphys and i only remember because of the anti-time metal. there was enough to save us from the effects of the machine. the usage of it fried the components and many parts of it disappeared as well. specifically things gaster created just for the machine. and i've been working all this time to try to fix it with what little knowledge i have." Sans scoffed and ran his hands over his sockets. He was exhausted. "seems like both alphys and me made horrible decisions to continue gaster's work. it fucked both of us up."

"YOU'RE NOT FUCKED UP." Papyrus said with a huff. "YOU ARE SERIOUSLY JOINING US FOR TRAINING, SANS. NO ARGUING!" He waved his finger at him.

Sans smiled a little at him. He still didn't want to exercise with Jog Boy but it was nice to know Papyrus still believed in him. Plus he had cursed again. This was starting to become a hilarious trend. Now if only he could get him to do it around Undyne and watch her reaction. Or Frisk and see Papyrus's reaction to his own slippage.

"there's more. but i can stop." He offered.

Papyrus considered it. "...IT REALLY IS HEAVY STUFF. BUT...WHY IS FRISK INVOLVED? OR, UM, WHAT WAS FRISK TALKING ABOUT EARLIER?"

Sans mentally apologized to Frisk. Looks like he was going to be exposing some of their secrets. "...if we wanna put this really simply, frisk is practically the embodiment of determination. this kid..." he looked at Frisk fondly and sadly, "...this kid can do what we wanted that machine to do. go back in time. they call them SAVES and RESETS. the SAVE points are the points in time frisk can return to. but only the most recent one they made." He looked at his brother. "with me?"

Papyrus was confused. "SO FRISK CAN TIME TRAVEL? WITHOUT BEING INJURED LIKE EARLIER?"

"yeah. when they do, though, nobody remembers it. well...besides déjà vu. you know that, bro?"

"OF COURSE I DO! I JUST DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS FRISK'S FAULT."

"usually it is." Sans corrected. "and then there are their RESETS. it's exactly how it sounds: a resetting of time. but as far as we know -frisk 'n me, I mean- it only resets them back to when they first entered the underground."

"SO IF THEY RESET NOW...?"

"we'll most likely all be back underground with no memories of this timeline. with a few exceptions. dreams can slip through that aren't dreams. and the déjà vu thing. that's usually my clues but by this point frisk has reset so much that it's all blending together."

Papyrus was silent for a few moments as he stared at Frisk again. "...HOW MANY TIMES...HAVE WE GOTTEN OUT?"

His brother could be so smart. "i don't know. at least two times according to frisk and my own discoveries."

"THEN WHY DID THEY RESET? WERE THEY NOT HAPPY?" He gasped. "IS FRISK UNHAPPY?"

"chill, bro." Sans motioned for Papyrus to calm down. "they're happy. neither of us know for certain why frisk RESET. frisk is just like use during the RESETS. which...is a problem." San closed his eyes and focused what little magic he had to reach into his storage pocket in space and pull out his NMTT lunchbox. He placed it in his lap. "...pap...what i'm about to tell you isn't easy. it's...you may not think of frisk the same way afterwards. we won't blame you for it. in fact, frisk fully expects you to hate them."

"I WOULD NEVER HATE FRISK! THEY'RE MY BEST FRIEND!" Papyrus denied sincerely.

"okay, good. keep that in mind as i tell you about chara." So Sans proceeded to explain who Chara was in accordance to Frisk and what Chara would do to them. As Frisk's EXP increased, so did their LOVE, and the stronger Chara became. To the point that Frisk wasn't even Frisk anymore. Only the tiny fragment of Frisk that was left had been powerful enough -after being shocked into awakening by Sans calling out to them- to RESET the timeline and everyone in it.

Papyrus hadn't said anything throughout the explanation. Sans opened up his box and carefully pulled out the scarf of another brother from another timeline. Papyrus recognized it instantly. "DUST..." He whispered. Sans didn't respond. Papyrus swallowed. "...MINE?"

Sans nodded.

Papyrus looked away from the scarf and Sans replaced it back into the box before closing it. Papyrus's hands were shaking slightly. The skeleton took a deep breath and stared down at Frisk. "THE NIGHTMARES." He said as he realized.

"yeah." Sans said simply.

"THAT'S WHY FRISK WEARS YOUR COAT? TO KEEP OUT THE NIGHTMARES?"

"surprisingly effective on people who aren't my brother."

"I JUST...WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS TELL ME? AM I THE LAST ONE TO KNOW?" Papyrus asked. There was a hint of desperation in his voice.

"no. you're the first."

Papyrus ran his hand over his face. "I...WELL. THIS IS SUPER SCARY STUFF. BUT...I GET IT. AND SANS NOW THAT I KNOW I CAN HELP. I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT I WILL HELP ANY WAY THAT I CAN!" He grinned and Sans watched him. "SO IF YOU GUYS HAVE NIGHTMARES MY BED IS OPEN! AND MY ARMS TOO! AND IF YOU NEED TO TALK I'M HERE! I DON'T KNOW A LOT ABOUT THIS TIME TRAVEL STUFF BUT IF IT HELPS MY FRIENDS AND ESPECIALLY MY BROTHER THEN I'M WILLING TO LEARN!" He reached over and grabbed Sans before Sans could protest. The two of them toppled backwards and away from Frisk as Papyrus hugged Sans tightly.

Sans gave a laugh of relief that sounded almost like a sob. He wrapped his arms around Papyrus and squeezed. "you think you can outhug me?"

Papyrus immediately rose to the challenge, wrapping his long legs around Sans's waist. "I KNOW I CAN OUTHUG YOU!" The two of them kept tightening and loosening their hugs as they battled. Sans started laughing and he hid his face into Papyrus's shoulder. His brother squeezed him in response and his laughter started to turn to soft sobs. It was like someone had released him of blue magic that had been pressing him down for years. He had never realized how much it had hurt him a little more each time he lied to Papyrus. His brother didn't know everything but he was more aware of Sans's sins. It was a start. One step forward at a time.

Papyrus started shushing Sans and he felt like baby bones all over again but wrapped up in his brother's arms he felt safer than he had in a long time. For just this moment, everything was okay. Frisk didn't hate him and Papyrus still loved him. And from the looks of it this knowledge didn't change his outlook on life.

Sans yawned and felt his head lull against his brother's clavicle. Tomorrow would bring new realities. Tonight he was going to get some rest and start over. A new slate. A new Sans. And maybe someday soon Sans would find a new purpose in life. Maybe something with his friends instead of a machine. It seemed to work out well enough for Alphys, after all. Sans closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope they were both in-character enough. It's tough writing silly characters as serious without losing them.**


	6. Momster of Dadsaster

**A/N: Full Chapter Name: Momster of Dadsaster (It Was A Matter of Time Before This Was Gonna Happen)**

 **A chapter containing a couple scenes Frisk has no idea about. Including why Sans was avoiding them. It's not as obvious a reason as you think.**

* * *

Sans had realized that he had forgotten to return his jacket to Frisk. It was just sitting there slowly but surely being sucked into the trash tornado. It was a matter of moments before the gusts would catch the sleeve and whisk the jacket into the funnel. Sans sat on his bed with his laptop in his lap staring at the jacket as his body throbbed with pain. Papyrus had actually made him join in on the training with Alphys. It had been one of the more awkward things Sans had ever done. And embarrassing. Papyrus had made them shout positive things about themselves as they ran through the streets. Sans had tried to joke during it but eventually gave up. He'd had no choice but to join. He didn't know what was more embarrassing: the other villagers laughing or the fact that they actually cheered them on instead.

Sans stared at the jacket. He had thrown it there after Papyrus had gone down into the lab to pick up all of the pillows and blankets and then had given the jacket to Sans. This was all after they had gotten Frisk to a doctor to patch them up before sending them home. It was now the next day proper and Sans had forgotten to give Frisk the jacket.

What kind of dreams did the kid have last night? Probably something horrifying. Most likely involving Sans himself. Maybe Chara. Maybe Gaster. None of them good. Was there a timeline where Sans had snapped and killed Frisk and they had all RESET and ended up back in the underground? Was it possible that was one of the reasons for Frisk's RESETs? Was Papyrus coming with them in this timeline a fluke?

Sans slumped down on his bed and heard his bones creak. He glanced at his computer screen where COOLSKELETON95 had responded to his trolling. He closed the computer and shoved it under his covers and sliding down to lay on his back and stare at the ceiling. Despite how tired he was he couldn't sleep. His insomnia was bad in general but now with all these thoughts constantly running through his head he couldn't even nap like he wished that he could. Usually he would do something to busy his hands and clear his mind but none of his efforts were working. His lab was trashed and scrolling through the human internet was only entertaining if you had a vague idea of where you wanted to go.

So now he was back on Frisk and how Sans was waiting for the other shoe to drop. He needed to return the jacket at least. It would comfort Frisk while Sans tried to work himself out. He needed to figure out what he wanted to do now that Gaster had ruined everything for him. But if Sans saw Frisk, he didn't doubt the kid would want to talk about what happened. They would probably try to give him false reassurances saying things like "I'm not angry" and "You couldn't help it" and "You didn't scare me". All lies. Well, maybe not the angry part. Frisk didn't have willpower to stay angry at people. But the other two things? Total lies. He could've tried to stop but he had allowed the magic to overwhelm him. And he had scared Frisk without a doubt.

But Frisk needed that jacket. If only for Sans's peace of mind if anything. And Sans needed to do something with his life at that moment. He was wasting away. It was probably because Papyrus had made him exercise. He was sore as hell but also feeling active. Sans grumbled into his pillow before he rolled himself out of bed to flop onto the floor. He stared at the ceiling. From the corner of his eye he could see the jacket swirling around in the tornado.

With great effort Sans rolled to his knees and his body groaned as he stood. Great, he sounded like old bones. He was becoming a fossil. It's great being so young and feeling like you belonged in a human museum. Huh. Maybe that could be a job. Skeleton in a museum. Monster skeleton. He would just need to sit there all day. Maybe sleep the day away. Sounded like an ideal job. He would need to look into that. Someone had to pay the bills and Papyrus's temp. jobs weren't enough.

The jacket slapped him in the face as Sans was pelted with trash. Before he had known it, he had been sucked into his own tornado. He grabbed the jacket and escaped from the funnel with some effort. He watched to make sure everything was appropriately circling before he left. Something tapped his foot and he looked down to see his pet rock. He nudged it into the center of the tornado where after a few moments it was swept up. Somehow it managed to stay in the vortex. There. That would be enough exercise for the rock.

Sans exited the room and glanced around for Papyrus and found him collapsed and asleep on the couch. Exhaustion finally caught up to him. He would probably be up in about an hour. Nothing could keep Sans's awesome brother down, not even sleeping. Sans walked over and adjusted his brother's ridiculously long legs and arms before he tugged down the blanket to cover him. Papyrus groaned in his sleep before giving a breathy "NYEH HEH...!"

Sans watched his brother for a few moments. Papyrus would most likely get on his case about finding a job soon anyway. He had been managing to get away with small time jobs (some more questionable than others) for the past couple of months but that was because Sans had been still adjusting to the human world. And Sans had stuff to do outside of work. It was just like when Gaster had disappeared the first time and Papyrus had forced him to become a sentry with him. Maybe he would be forced to help with the children at the school. They seemed to like him enough but he wasn't sure about stealing his brother's thunder or the responsibility of watching so many kids. What if Sans needed to slip out a moment's notice for important things like napping?

Sans exited the house and walked towards wherever. Frisk should be at Toriel's house today. Sans wasn't looking forward to this meeting again at all. He would just drop off the jacket and leave. He wouldn't stick around to bother Frisk this time. Everyone at Grillby's should be expecting him soon enough anyway. He would go there and hang out for a while. That crowd usually cheered him up quite a bit and he could go for a drink. A monster drink because human drinks go straight through him. Can't enjoy alcohol made by humans apparently.

Sans found the shortcut he was looking for and step through it. He looked to the side as he did so thinking maybe if he tried hard enough he could see through the paper thin crack between space and possibly see a familiar face. But it was pointless. It was like trying to see into a crack without stopping to press your eye to it. Nothing but darkness before he was near Toriel's house. Sans shifted the jacket on his shoulder and approached the door before knocking on it.

Toriel was the one to open the door. "Oh! Sans. Hello." She smiled but Sans noticed it wasn't as bright as it usually was. He recognized that she was upset. Reasonable considering her kid was wearing a number of bandages around their body and had a nasty discolored wound on their arm.

"heya tori. just came to drop off the jacket." He tugged the jacket and held it out to her when Frisk peeked around her. Sans made eye contact with Frisk and Frisk gave a wary smile. Maybe things were okay? Sans held the jacket out to them and Frisk flinched.

Oh...

Sans worked to keep his grin the same. "here ya go, pal." He didn't move and Frisk took the jacket while glaring at it. They seemed to be beating themselves up over something. Possibly the flinch but also possibly the fact that they were facing Sans. Sans slowly dropped his hand but Frisk still stiffened.

And Toriel noticed.

Shit.

"Thank you, Sans." Tori said with that same stiff smile. "My child, you still have homework to finish before you can visit Tamara." Frisk nodded and smiled and waved before walking away.

"alright. well that was all i-" Sans started but Toriel cut him off,

"Shall we go for a walk? It is nice day out." It was actually rather overcast. It threatened to snow judging by the way everyone was huddling into their clothing. But Sans knew it wasn't a suggestion.

Double shit.

"yeah, sure. you might want a jacket first. i _cold_ n't bear it if you caught a cold." Tori's mouth twitched unable to help it but she resisted laughter and stepped inside to gather her things.

"I will be right back, Frisk!" She called before she rejoined Sans outside. Sans started walking and Toriel followed. He supposed this was bound to happen so why fight it? He didn't have control over anything else in his life. Might as well let things just happen. He had almost forgotten what it was like to not fight back and to make his own choices.

"I am not going to dance around this. Sans, what the _hell_ happened to my child?" She demanded when they were a decent distance away from the house. Toriel, Sans had learned early on, had no problem with cursing when not around impressionable ears. She liked to talk properly in general but there were times when the way she talked was influenced by Sans's own way of speaking. Such as when she was angry with skeletons who hurt her children. Or fish monsters that broke down doors and thought of terrible sledding things to do with her child.

Sans stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. "frisk didn't tell you?" He asked.

She glared a little at him. Shit, she was really upset. "Frisk does not tell me much of anything when it's actually important. I have been quiet about the relationship between you two because you are both trusted friends but...but Frisk will not even tell me why they are injured! They just said it was an accident! Sans, I will tolerate many things for the sake of our friendship but my child's health is NOT one of them!"

Sans bit back a wince. Momma Tori was pissed off. Sans felt like baby bones all over again. Sometimes he forgot how much older Toriel really was compared to him. "...papyrus and me...we got in a fight." He confessed.

Tori deflated slightly. "A...a fight?" She seemed shocked which Sans admitted was an appropriate reaction. Papyrus complained about Sans a lot but the two of them never legitimately fight. They were actually rather tame with each other in terms of siblings because Sans couldn't stay mad at Papyrus and Papyrus was too forgiving to stay angry at anything Sans did.

"yeah. it got...physical. and frisk got caught in the crossfire."

"How physical?"

"magic physical."

"Sans!" She breathed in horror and distress. "What was your fight even about? I thought you two never fight!"

"we don't." Sans agreed. "but...it was a bad day. real bad. and...well even the best siblings fight sometimes." He didn't want to go into details. "look, tori, i'm real sorry about it all." He said sincerely.

Tori was remembering her anger though it was a cooler anger than before. "It is not me you should apologize to."

Sans wasn't sure he liked this anger much better. "yeah, i know. i've already said it to frisk but..."

"But my child is still injured and flinches at the sight of you." She finished coldly. Sans nodded in agreement. Toriel looked away from him and they both stood in silence for a few long moments. Sans didn't know what would happen next but in a way he was relieved that finally someone was angry at him. He knew he had screwed up but he had been forgiven right away. He didn't deserve forgiveness. There needed to be some kind of payment for his actions. The law of equivalent exchange.

Toriel finally turned back to Sans. "I want you to stay away from Frisk." Sans's eyes widened in shock. He had fully expected to lose his friendship with Frisk...but he hadn't expected Toriel to be the one to end it. "You and Papyrus both. I do not want either of you near Frisk for a while."

"w-wait, tori!" Sans protested.

"Sans, I am not kidding!" She said.

"don't punish pap!" Sans continued anyway. That gave her a bit of a pause. Was she honestly expecting him to protest for himself? "t-the fight was my fault, i swear. i lost control and papyrus...papyrus had been the one to protect frisk. he fought me to protect both himself and frisk. don't punish him, please. he loves that kid."

Toriel gave Sans a sad look. "And you do not?"

"i fucked up, tori. i get that. frisk is scared of me and hurt because of me so if you want me to stay away from them from now on then i will. that kid is my..." Fuck, Sans didn't really even have a word for how important Frisk was to him. Best friend was inadequate. He shook his head. "please. don't punish papyrus for what i did."

"...Fine." Toriel sighed. "But Sans...I am not telling you to stop being friends with Frisk. They love you very much even if they are scared of you now." Sans looked at her in confusion. Didn't she just say Frisk doesn't talk to her about this stuff? "A mother can see these things." She said, a little amused. "But," her voice dropped back to her serious one, "I do not want you near Frisk for a while. No sleepovers and I ask you to not let Frisk sleep in your room if they visit without my knowledge."

Sans could do that. He could slip out of his room through his shortcut easily. "sure."

"I will also be telling Asgore so that he knows." Like Sans was going to sneak over to see Frisk? Not likely. However how would Asgore react to this?

"got it."

Toriel nodded and turned to walk back home when she paused. "...I understand doing things that you regret, Sans...that is why I will look past this. You are my good friend and I trust you. But I will not tolerate these secrets much longer. Everyone has their secrets and I think perhaps Frisk is not ready to open up to me...but if these secrets are hurting Frisk in any way...I will not stand idly by."

Sans wasn't sure if he was being threatened or not. He wanted to say he wasn't but there was a queenliness to her demeanor that brought back memories of past timelines where she had claimed the throne again. She had been beautiful and so sorrowful during those times. In many ways she was like that now. Sans admired that beauty. "...gotcha."

"Goodbye then." She said and departed. Sans watched her go and waited until she was inside her house before he decided to head home. Papyrus was awake early but he was lounging on the couch watching an MTT show. Mettaton was currently singing some song that sounded vaguely familiar to Sans but he didn't care enough. Toriel had just given him every reason not to see the human child. It was for the best. The two of them could use a separation. After all, Sans had already thought about how fucked up their relationship was. Might as well enact the ban now, right?

"SANS, TAKE A LOOK AT METTATON. HIS LEGS ARE EVEN LONGER AND SEXIER NOW!" Papyrus said as he gazed admiringly at Mettaton's long legs. Actually they didn't look any longer. He was just wearing higher heels. Sans mentally cringed at the thought.

"hey bro. i need to talk to you about something. it'll be real quick."

Papyrus looked at him and his smile dimmed some. It hurt Sans to see the knowing and cautious look in his brother's eyes. He shouldn't have to feel like that. Papyrus turned off the tv and patted the couch. "COME SIT NEXT TO ME. TELL ME ALL ABOUT YOUR FEELINGS AND I WILL TAKE THEM ALL AND HUG YOU!"

"heh heh heh, not necessary i swear. i just got back from tori's. i'm grounded from seeing frisk for a while, okay?"

"WHAT! GROUNDED? I'LL TALK TO HER MAJESTY! MAYBE SHE-"

"nah, don't." Sans shook his head. "she's upset that i hurt frisk. she has a right. i'll stay away."

"BUT..." Papyrus asked, worried, "WILL YOU BE OKAY WITH THAT?"

probably. possibly. maybe not. who fucking knew anymore. "i got you, bro. s'all i ever needed, yeah? my awesome brother."

"AW SANS." Papyrus grabbed Sans and pulled him into a hug despite Sans insisting that he didn't need one. Papyrus didn't let go though and hauled him into his lap. Damn the fact his brother was so tall. "OF COURSE I'M HERE! AND WHEN YOU'RE NOT GROUNDED WE'LL HAVE FRISK WITH US TOO! WE'LL BE LIKE THAT THAT ONE HUMAN SHOW! THE THREE..." He trailed off forgetting the words.

"musketeers?" Sans supplied.

"NO! MOUSEKETEERS! REMEMBER WITH THE ANIMAL MONSTERS? THE MOUSE AND THE DUCK AND THAT WEIRD ONE THAT WENT 'A-HYUK'!" Sans started laughing hearing his brother make that sound. Papyrus continued to repeat the sound and Sans was in stitches. After that, Papyrus insisted they now watch the movie and Sans couldn't really protest. It had been a while since it was just him and Papyrus just doing something together. He had missed this.

* * *

It was the next day that he had gotten the summons. It was a simple text message from Undyne to his phone stating that Asgore wanted him to come over for afternoon tea. She didn't make it sound like an invitation although the old king probably said it like one. But Sans was aware it wasn't a normal tea. He was probably going to get scolded by Dad as well.

Reluctantly he left Grillby's and travelled through the shortcut to Asgore's. The front door had a sign on it that read "Howdy! Come on in and make yourself at home!" It was a handmade wooden sign that had signs of wear. He always kept it on the door and Asgore's door was never locked. They lived in a very friendly community.

Sans opened the door and knocked on it to announce his presence. Asgore turned from where he was at the stove and smiled broadly. "Howdy Sans! You're just in time! I thought you might be a little late because I had forgotten to tell Undyne until right before she left. Sorry about that."

"s'cool." Sans said and Asgore picked up his teapot full of fresh tea before the two of them walked to the patio. It was sunny today and the sun came straight through the windows giving the area warmth to fight the chill of yesterday's snow. Sans was fairly sure Asgore also used magic to keep this area warm because there were plants nearby that weren't chilled by the cold air. Sans took a seat across from Asgore as the old king poured them both cups of tea and offered sweeteners. He was wearing that sweater Frisk had made for him that said "Goat Dad Dads You". Sans didn't get the joke.

Asgore took his time preparing everything enough that Sans felt slightly uncomfortable. And it was made worse with the realization that Asgore was probably doing it on purpose. He had seen the old king debating with people before plenty of times and understood he was a scary force to reckon with. He wasn't the smartest king (Tori was the brains behind the two politically) but he was strangely conniving for such a simple and kind guy. Sans wasn't sure how to feel about this situation. He wasn't particularly close to Asgore. Not because he was a bad guy but because it was just a little weird for him considering how hostile Tori usually was towards him (although she seemed to be softening some). Sans just never really crossed paths with Asgore much outside of group hangouts.

Asgore placed Sans's tea in front of him and offered him some snacks before he took a sip of his own tea and sighed. "The hint of clove really adds a nice heat in the chest, does it not?" He smiled.

Sans sipped it and felt the warm magic of monster food diffuse into his bones. It did feel strangely warm. Weird. But not bad. "tastes good, yeah. but tea isn't what you called me here for."

"Jumping straight to the point?" Asgore asked. "You usually avoid these things."

Sans shrugged. "i know you're probably _tea_ ming with questions." He joked.

Asgore chuckled and put down his tea onto a saucer before folding up his large hands in front of him. Sans eyed them. They were bigger than his head. "Indeed I am. Tori told me that you hurt Frisk quite badly. Why is that?" He asked curiously. Sans still felt like he was being threatened. Was this some kind of royalty thing? How did they manage to do this?

"just what i told tori. lost control. hurt people."

"Why did you lose control?" He pressed.

"sometimes a guy just gets angry. magic overload and such."

Asgore hummed in agreement but Sans could see he didn't believe him. "And Frisk flinches around you now." Sans didn't respond. Asgore studied Sans and slowly his face fell until he was staring seriously at the skeleton. He leaned back into his chair. "Sans. You are a good friend of everyone and I like you as well. But perhaps you should not be dating my child. You cannot control your temper and you hurt them. Who is to say you won't do it again?"

Sans shrugged again. "dunno."

Asgore's eyes narrowed slightly. "You do not care?"

"don't get me wrong." Sans corrected. "i don't want it to happen. hopefully it was just a fluke. but i can't guarantee anything. i'd never hurt the kid on purpose and i definitely didn't do it this time. frisk was in the wrong place at the wrong time and i was in a bad place at a bad time." Sans rubbed his hands together some and took another sip of his tea. "...i'll stay away from frisk. i promised that."

"Would it be too late to give you the 'hurt my child and I kill you' speech?" Asgore asked lightly. Sans didn't doubt that Asgore really could kill him. There was a bit of sweat forming on the back of his skull.

"probably."

"Pity."

Neither of them talked for the rest of the tea. Sans was let out with a friendly wave and a goodbye and with ambivalent feelings towards Frisk's father.


	7. The Ups and Downs of Being A Skeleton

**A/N: The Ups and Downs of Being A Skeleton (Where the Hell Does Frisk Get These Ideas?)**

 **A short chapter that takes place after the Valentine's Date. Those on my tumblr already know that I'm not writing the date from Sans's pov. And I am sorry for that. But I don't really have anything to build on in terms of those two chapters so I'm skipping them. The only thing really of importance was the kiss and I'll mention that in the next chapter or something. Sans will reflect on it at some point.**

 **Anyway this was just a silly chapter I came up with.**

* * *

Frisk was staring at him. This wasn't unusual, of course. Frisk stared at a lot of things. they just let their eyes land on something and then they would zone out. This was a typical occurrence. Usually, though, it wasn't Sans that they stared at. Especially not with that amount of intense focus. That stare was the stare of someone who wanted something. Or, at least, was watching something crawl on another person. But considering that there wasn't anything crawling on Sans this just left the option that Frisk wanted something. San would know if something was crawling on him, after all.

So up until this moment Sans had been ignoring the stare. He was busy instead with avoiding responsibilities. It was hard work considering that his brother was sort of like responsibility incarnated as a loud cheerful skeleton. On top of deft dodging of his bro and any sort of chore, Sans also had to figure out what to do about his lab. It was totaled (his own handiwork, of course) and he honestly didn't want to step one slippered foot into the goddamn place. At this point it was only being filled with negative memories. So best to avoid them too. Unfortunately here he was anyway in the fucking lab considering all of this rubble and steadfastly ignoring that machine.

And Frisk? Frisk was still fucking staring at him like he had magically grown another head or two. The kid had mostly been sitting on the floor gathering any loose papers and anything that had survived the assault but now they just sat there. For the past ten minutes. Fucking staring at him. Now don't get Sans wrong, he adored the human to pieces (even if on bad days he really couldn't stomach even the sight of them. Even though he didn't even _have_ a stomach. It was that bad) but this staring stuff? Had to stop. It was rude for one thing, really annoying for another, and kind of unnerving for a final thing.

Sans turned around to face Frisk. Their eyes met. "i get it." He said and Frisk's eyebrows twitched downwards in confusion, "kids can't resist staring at their handsome boyfriends. s'fine…you don't have to deny it." He winked, grinning, "but gotta say buddy…kind of getting weird. like you wanna jump my bones or something."

Frisk stood up suddenly that Sans almost jumped in surprise. They rushed forward and suddenly wrapped their arms around Sans's waist, hugging him. He stiffened completely caught off-guard. He had only been joking. Did Frisk actually-?

Unexpectedly Sans's feet began to leave the ground. He gaped and struggled a little but Frisk's hold was surprisingly strong. "wha-! h-hey kid, what are you doing?" He was lifted completely off of his feet and held suspended above Frisk. Looking down at them, Sans saw that Frisk had a huge triumphant grin on their faces. Sans was definitely confused.

"You're light." Frisk explained and then just because they could they spun around. Sans's whole body jerked in an effort to get away. He was used to being picked up by Papyrus but never without some kind of warning. At least not in a hug like this.

"a-alright, point made. put me down." Frisk, being the polite kid they were, did so. Sans resisted the urge to sigh in relief and he gave Frisk a bemused look. "why?" He asked simply.

Frisk shrugged.

The door upstairs opened and Papyrus came down. His brother now owned a copy of the key to the lab so he could come down at any time. Shit it looked like Sans would have to actually do stuff. "SANS!" Papyrus called and he jumped the last couple ruin steps to land on the floor. He looked around and then made a disgusted noise. "IT'S NOT CLEANED AT ALL!"

Sans was fully prepared to explain the fact that he really didn't feel like doing anything when suddenly Frisk rushed forward and wrapped their arms around Papyrus's legs. Wait, they weren't actually going to-?

"OH! HELLO, HUMAN. I AM-NYEH?" Papyrus cried out as Frisk suddenly began lifting him as well. Papyrus's arms pinwheeled in an effort to stay straight as Frisk beamed with pride. Wow. Sans grinned as well. It wasn't often that Papyrus was picked up let alone by a child. "F-FRISK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARE YOU HUGGING MY LEGS AND LIFTING ME?"

"Because I can." Frisk told him.

"WOW!" Papyrus grinned and still tried to stay steady in Frisk's arms. Frisk was struggling slightly but holding their own. "UNDYNE'S TRAINING IS MAKING YOU REALLY STRONG!" Frisk nodded in agreement. Things were going well until Papyrus moved and Frisk suddenly overbalanced. Both cried out and Papyrus fell flat on his face as Frisk flopped onto their back. Sans winced slightly. That had to smart. Both groaned.

"man," Sans couldn't resist quipping, "talk about taking a load off."


	8. Comic Papyrus, Funniest Papyrus Around

**A/N:** **Full Title: _Comic Papyrus, the Funniest Papyrus Around (SANS, THAT IS NOT TRUE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, AM THE FUNNIEST PAPYRUS AROUND! but you're part of comic papyrus. so of course he's the funniest guy around. YOU'RE RIGHT! NYEH HEH HEH!)_**

 **I recycled quite a bit of dialogue for this chapter but that was because I thought it would be interesting to see where Syrus's reactions and words came from. Also I hope this makes sense to everyone. Fusion is strange and confusing.**

* * *

Sans was really starting to hate this laboratory. Not just because of the bad memories that lingered here but also because he never really considered how tiny it was. It being destroyed and being taken up by that hulking machine didn't help. He would need to expand the laboratory or find another place if he was going to start bringing in the machines from the True Lab that he used to pay attention to the time stream. He needed to find Gaster again and possibly find a way to track him. He and Alphys had both found Gaster before, so Sans could try again. If that didn't work then...perhaps he needed to recruit Alphys.

He couldn't even imagine how _that_ conversation would go down. "hey alphys. so i need to find gaster. why? cuz he's currently trying to take frisk's body. no yeah totally frisk. gave 'em that scar and everything. oh yeah. hell of a time that was. i'll tell you all about it in my secret lab."

Fucking fun time right there.

Sans's phone farted and he pulled it out of his pocket. How long had he been glaring at the blueprints in front of him? Whatever. He pulled out his phone and read the text. It was from Frisk. Apparently Papyrus was practicing using the blasters with Undyne. Sans stiffened as he read the text. That wasn't good at all. Papyrus wouldn't be able to manage it, Sans didn't think. Or at least, he hoped that he wouldn't manage it. He needed to get over there now.

He shot a text off to Frisk and hurried to exit the lab. The blasters were not things Sans wanted his brother to be playing around with. When he had first taught Papyrus, the skeleton had the most difficult time forming the blasters. At the time Sans hadn't understood the reason behind his brother's lack of skill. After all, he could use any attacks that Sans did. It was only after Papyrus had begun to seriously train to become part of the Royal Guard (but before he had officially asked to be part of it; he wanted to make sure he was physically ready for the job first) did he manage to finally summon the blasters. It had only been one time and that was only in a fit of frustration. The frustration had disappeared as quick as it had arrived after that taking the blasters with it.

Sans's phone farted and he looked at it. Frisk hadn't described the area well but he would probably be able to track Papyrus's voice. So he rushed to the appropriate shortcut. It only took a bit of searching before he arrived next to Frisk and stood with them as Papyrus and Undyne went back and forth with each other. Papyrus had been unable to summon the blasters. Good.

"hey bro." He called out in greeting and everyone looked at him. Papyrus grinned widely.

"SANS! YOU'RE JUST IN TIME FOR ME TO SHOW OFF MY AWESOME USE OF THE BLASTERS!"

"oh yeah. saw that. you didn't quite manage it though." Sans could already tell what was coming. Papyrus would wish to relearn how to use the blasters but frankly he didn't want his brother summoning the damn things. He loved his own blasters because they were strong and necessary for him considering his low health count. Papyrus was strong and really didn't need them. Especially because of what it took to summon them. He didn't want that negativity in his brother even for a moment. It had been shocking enough when Papyrus had summoned the blasters back in the lab. It really showed something.

Exactly like Sans predicted, he was asked to demonstrate by both a pumped up Undyne and happy Papyrus. His brother at least seemed to realize that maybe asking about the blasters wasn't the best idea considering the last time he had used them. But still Papyrus asked to be shown.

"s'not that big of a deal." Sans tried to blow it off. "you're great enough without them, papyrus."

"OF COURSE! BUT WITH THE BLASTERS I WILL BE UNDEFEATED! IMAGINE IF ANYONE TRIED TO HURT FRISK! LIKE SAY, A PERSON THAT CAN'T TAKE PHYSICAL ATTACKS WHICH FRISK OF COURSE CAN ONLY USE!" Sans looked to Frisk who appeared a little floored by this comment. Sans should've seen this coming. Papyrus wasn't going to sit idly by and let Frisk get injured. This wasn't the underground and the human was no longer alone. Both brothers would work hard to protect this child.

Frisk caught him looking and tilted their head in question. Looks like he wasn't getting any help from that side. But he didn't want to use the blasters in front of Frisk. He knew for a fact he wouldn't be able to control the magic that would burn in his eye socket. There didn't need to be another accident and it hadn't been that long since the lab blowup. He sigh and signed to them asking if his demonstration would scare them. He ignored Undyne's protests but did catch Papyrus watching the both of them.

Frisk looked conflicted momentarily before they nodded to Sans and hurried over to join Undyne out of harm's way. "...alright then." Sans stuffed his hands in his pockets, and Papyrus's eyes began to sparkle with excitement as Sans walked over to join him. Sans swallowed. "...they aren't your normal thing, pap," he warned, "so don't expect them to come easy. you always had trouble with it."

"IT'S SURPRISINGLY DIFFICULT?" Papyrus agreed.

"s'nothing like the bones. there's no pulling them from another space. they're created through sheer will. you have to picture them while you summon up the necessary components. you're giving them a form." Sans focused his magic inwards and in his mind's eye saw the blasters. He pulled at his emotions and let them influence his magic until a single blaster appeared. He felt the magic burning in his eye and watched as Papyrus gaped at the blaster and touched it once. The thing was as hard as bone because Sans willed it to be so.

"WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS?" Papyrus asked.

"determination..." Sans looked towards Frisk who was watching him with a set but scared face. He admired them for trying to conquer their fear but it didn't make the moment any easier. Frisk clenched their eyes and shook their head and Sans returned to addressing his brother, "...and a target to destroy."

Papyrus's eyes widened some at the wording before he looked around. His eyes landed on a bundle of trees facing away from any civilization. He closed his eyes and Sans could feel the magic building and emitting from his brother. Sans hadn't told Papyrus the other component needed to summon the blasters. With any luck he wouldn't need to.

Papyrus made a frustrated noise. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT'S NOT WORKING!"

"maybe your LOVE isn't strong enough…" Sans muttered to himself.

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY." Papyrus shot back. But Sans hadn't been joking and after a moment Papyrus realized that he wasn't. His excitement ebbed a little. Undyne and Frisk were talking as Papyrus asked in a shouted whisper, "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Sans winked at him. "nah, i'm sans. can't believe you forgot your own bro."

Papyrus made a disgusted noise and turned back to concentrate. The thing that Sans knew was that Papyrus really was a great and strong fighter. The guy could probably learn all kinds of magic, such as Undyne's green magic or possibly Alphys's yellow magic, but he just wanted to keep improving his own skills. And unfortunately the blasters were one of them. Papyrus was having too difficult of a time, and Sans could practically feel the difference in his magic as he almost summoned the blasters and then failed. Probably best to end this now

"maybe it really was a fluke." He suggested as he released his magic on his own loitering blaster.

Papyrus frowned and crossed his arms. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE. I WASN'T FOCUSING ON THAT WHEN I SUMMONED THE BLASTERS LAST TIME!" Papyrus looked to Sans. An idea popped into his brother's head. It must be a brilliant one judging by the look on that face. "SANS, YOU SHOULD SHOW ME HOW IT FEELS!"

That was unexpected. "you talkin' about fusion?"

"Fusion?" Frisk asked with wide eyes.

Undyne looked amazed and baffled, ignoring the human child, "You two can fuse?" Then she paused. "Actually that makes total sense!"

"WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO IT FOR YEARS! WE JUST NEVER DO!" Papyrus said.

"because it takes up a lot of magic." Sans explained knowing that Frisk had no clue about fusion. He also decided to go into a little more detail about fusion. It wasn't a commonly talked about thing among monsters because it was rather rare. Sans personally only knew one other person who could fuse. All monsters knew about it but very few had seen it. When he and Papyrus had first learned in school about fusion, the two of them went straight home to try it out. It had taken days of practice to even figure out how to dissolve their bodies into pure magic. It didn't help that they didn't have a mentor in the process. Let's just say that their body parts hadn't been removable before.

"...I wanna see." Frisk breathed and looking into the child's eyes Sans could see the first true excitement that he had seen in those orbs in a long time. Undyne agreed and Papyrus was beamed with hopeful eyes. How was Sans to say no to that? It's not like he disliked fusion. It just exhausted him. His only real worry was using the blasters in their fused state. It already took up a lot of magic and the blasters took a hell of a lot out of him too...

"alright." He winked at them, "s'been a while. sorry if i'm rusty."

"DON'T WORRY! YOU'VE GOT ME FOR SUPPORT!"

"that's perfect, bro." Sans said honestly. Hopefully Papyrus could take on most of the magical load when they got the blasters summoned.

Both of them fell silent and Sans closed his eyes. He focused inward on himself and on his own soul. Compared to human souls, monster souls were blander. They didn't have all the colors that human souls had because monsters at their cores were simple creatures. They were made of magic and kindness and that was all they really needed to sustain themselves. It was what formed the monster's bodies. Sans focused on his soul and _sucked_ his body into it. All of the matter that wasn't magic faded and was pulled into his soul until all of his senses were gone. All he could really do was sense another magic near him. It was familiar and comforting and he reached for it.

All that he was wrapped and morphed with this other person. He couldn't even really recall who it was but he trusted them. He gave no resistance to each bit of magic that was added to his and the other person offered no resistance to each bit of Sans that joined them. This was the tricky part. Sans could easily let go and allow his soul to hang suspended next to this twin soul and stay insubstantial forever. But if they did that there really wasn't a forever. Their magic would fade and the particles of matter that made up their bodies would be the only things left as their souls disappeared into the ether. Only dust would be left.

So Sans focused on reclaiming a body. The other soul worked in tandem with his and both of them pushed their bodies out of their souls. The matter began to form a new body that would blend just as effortlessly as their magic did. It was exciting and thrilling. Sans regained first his sense of self before anything else. He could feel Papyrus next to him and it made him happy. He felt Papyrus's own joy and excitement bouncing back at him as the rest of their senses came back online.

The strangest part, in Sans's opinion, about fusion was definitely the piloting of the new body. Rather than there being two souls in one body, it was more like there were three personalities. Sans and Papyrus were background pilots as the new body -Comic Papyrus- took over. Comic Papyrus was his own person but Sans and Papyrus could both influence him. But influencing the body was difficult when the two souls wanted different things so generally they both just let Comic Papyrus do what he wished. After all, he was them and they were him. It was why fusion didn't work with just anyone. There needed to be a level of trust that reached as far as the monsters' souls. Without it, the fusion would fail.

Curiosity took hold of both them and Sans felt Papyrus's want to look at their self. Sans agreed. Their form always looked a little different depending on the clothing they had been wearing at the time. Comic Papyrus spun around and spotted the cape and Papyrus's emotions of excitement hit Sans like a tidal wave. That was the other issue with fusion was dealing with the emotions of the other person. Luckily, Sans was very used to Papyrus and his feelings so he took it with stride as Comic Papyrus cried out, "Awesome! My cape is still here!"

Of course the cape was still there. Sans had explained the intricacies of fusion to Papyrus before about how matter could neither be created nor destroyed, so when fusion occurred then the matter left over from their clothing -which is all matter and no magic- had to go somewhere. Obviously the cape's matter had to stay attached to their form so-

"SANS," Papyrus's spoke through Comic Papyrus, "I WOULD APPRECIATE THE TONING DOWN OF YOUR SCIENCE INFORMATION. THOSE THOUGHTS GIVE ME A HEADACHE!" Sans could feel the headache forming in their shared skull. Sans was about to respond -because while fused monsters could only "talk" through emotions so to communicate specific thoughts they needed to actually control their shared form- but Undyne spoke first.

"Whoa-ho-ho! LOOK at you two!" Undyne ran over and walked around them to really look over Comic Papyrus. Papyrus radiated pride and happiness. Sans himself felt calm and rather happy so Comic Papyrus gave a pleased grin. "I can't believe how badass this is!"

"It's quite awesome!" Comic Papyrus bragged, "But then, of course, Papyrus is part of me so of course I'm awesome!" That was something that Sans and Papyrus both agreed on so Comic Papyrus was filled with self-love. That was probably the best part of fusion. Sans could feel all of the love Papyrus felt for him as well as his own self. And Papyrus could feel just how much Sans loved him. Unfortunately Papyrus no doubt felt all of Sans's own dislike and uselessness for himself.

Papyrus's love became stronger and Sans pushed back his negative emotions so it wouldn't affect the both of them.

Their eyes caught the hesitant and amazed Frisk as they stared at Comic Papyrus. Comic Papyrus grinned at the sight of them as they were flooded with the adoration they felt towards Frisk. Sans loved that kid with a passion and Papyrus's matched his own feelings. Comic Papyrus would be completely wrapped around that human's little finger if they so much as asked. Jump off of a bridge? Comic Papyrus would probably use his magic to lift the bridge higher just to be all the more impressive when they did jump.

But there was some worry on Sans's part and it made Comic Papyrus a little nervous. What would Frisk think of this? There must be a limit to how much humans could handle in terms of the eccentricities of monsters. "What d'ya think, Frisk?" Comic Papyrus asked.

Frisk seemed wary as they approached Comic Papyrus. But curiosity lit up their face as they squinted and reached out to touch Comic Papyrus's hand. Unable to resist himself, the skeleton took Frisk's hand and swept them up into his arms. Frisk gaped momentarily before a grin lit up their face and Comic Papyrus resisted the urge that pulsed through both brothers to hug the human tightly to them. Luckily, Sans's self-control was just strong enough to resist crushing the human to their chest. Frisk wrapped their arms around his neck and squeezed him themself.

"Awesome!" They decided, and Comic Papyrus couldn't have had asked for a better review if he'd tried.

"What do you even call yourself? Papans? Sansyus?" Undyne questioned. "What do fusions even call themselves?"

That was actually a funny story. Papyrus and Sans both had conflictions over what to call themselves to the point that they started fighting while fused. It had almost ripped them both apart, and Sans very much doubted _that_ would feel good. Eventually, while their separate selves, they had come up with, "Comic Papyrus, actually." Comic Papyrus said. He wrapped a tiny bit of blue magic around Frisk to make them lighter before putting them on his shoulder.

"That's a mouthful." Undyne said, and both brothers felt a tiny bit offended. They had both worked hard as children to decide on a name. But now that they thought about it, she had a point. Papyrus reluctantly agreed with Sans.

"Hmm...you're right." But what would they call themselves now? Probably nothing different because Sans didn't feel like coming up with a name and Papyrus was more focused on Frisk.

"Syrus." The human suggested. The brothers rolled the name around in their head. A combination of their names that didn't sound stupid.

"Heh heh, that's a great idea!" Comic Papyrus decided before an official agreement was made. Papyrus was ecstatic. Sans mentally shrugged and agreed. Syrus swung Frisk down and deposited on the ground while releasing the magic. He was unable to contain his excitement. "Syrus! Short and sweet! And less of a mouthful! Now I don't have to keep calling myself that name!" Oops. Looks like that thought managed to become part of Syrus's psyche from Sans's thoughts. Papyrus took a bit of offence. "But Comic Papyrus is a great name." And it was.

"it's because we're funny as hell, right?" Sans asked. Syrus's face scrunched as Papyrus's confusion and wary disgust filtered through.

"IS THAT A JOKE?" Papyrus asked.

Sans had another one prepared -and Sans knew Papyrus could _feel_ the pun coming- but Undyne commanded them both to stop and get back on track. They were supposed to using the blasters. Sans's reluctance came back and with it came Papyrus's confusion. It left Syrus wary, but Sans had agreed to this so they would follow through. After all, Sans could already feel the difference in the amount of magic in Syrus's form. His own magic was significantly less than Papyrus's. He was tiring.

Syrus made sure that Frisk and Undyne were safely out of the way before he focused on a tree. Sans took direct control over Syrus and reached down into their shared magical core. Syrus and Papyrus focused completely on what Sans's soul was doing and Sans imagined the two blasters. He was aware of his LOVE in a way he usually wasn't, and he was sure it was Papyrus's fault. He could feel Papyrus's own LOVE. There wasn't any, but Sans could sense how much his EXP his brother had. It was more than he expected and enough to summon a blaster. He must have gotten the EXP from fighting. You didn't need to kill anyone to gain minor EXP, and Papyrus had done enough fighting for those trickles of EXP to compound. Papyrus emitted worry for Sans as he too felt the LOVE of Sans.

The blasters formed with little effort on Syrus's part. His eyes were burning with their twin magic. "OH!" Papyrus took control long enough to speak. "NOW I GET IT." He hesitated. "...I DON'T KNOW IF I LIKE IT." Sans could sense his wariness about the components needs to summon the blasters. But summoning the blasters was the easy part. It was firing them that was the scary part.

"it's not for fun." Sans warned his brother. This was no longer a demonstration about how to use the blasters, but also a reason as to why Papyrus shouldn't train with the blasters. There was nothing to train with. They were as strong as they could be if you knew how to use them correctly. "now pay attention." He commanded.

Syrus stretched out his hand and focused on the trees in the distance. He imagined them blown to smithereens. He wanted the path cleared. He wanted the trees _destroyed_. And the blasters began to charge before he commanded, "There!" The lasers erupted from the blasters and eviscerated the trees along with everything in their path. For a horrifying moment Sans remembered how that had almost happened to Papyrus and Frisk. Papyrus's alarm raged through Syrus, and their combined emotions almost took out Syrus's knees. The blasters disappeared quickly as Syrus tried to regain his breath from the emotional hit as well as the magical depletion.

"SANS...?" Papyrus whispered in terror and awe. Sans could feel how humbled and scared he was as well as the intense worry he felt for Sans. Sans wasn't doing well and it was reflected in Syrus. Good thing they weren't facing towards either Undyne or Frisk. He couldn't imagine what their face looked like.

"pap..." Sans's voice was wavering. "pap, i..."

"I UNDERSTAND." And Sans could honestly feel that he did. Sans couldn't feel any hatred or dislike from Papyrus. He only felt fear and all-encompassing love. Emotion choked Syrus. It was almost enough for him to tear up but Undyne cry of excitement startled them back to themselves. Syrus took full control again and worked to hide their combined negative emotions. He turned back to Undyne to respond and then his eyes fell on Frisk. They appeared shaken and their body was trembling minutely.

"You got it down, then?" Undyne asked Papyrus.

"Yeah! Uh, but I'm not sure about using it any time soon. Especially not for training." Sans was relieved. Papyrus had always been good at learning his lessons when it came to magic usage. Undyne protested, but Syrus refused to give a definitive answer. Thankfully Frisk changed the subject instead asking what it was like to be a fusion.

Syrus was relieved, and both brothers got a joyful boost in emotion by Syrus's delight with Frisk. He considered how to explain to Frisk what it was like being him. "Same as if you were in your own body….but with someone else there." Shit! That sounded way too much like Chara! And judging by Frisk's face, they had taken it that way as well. Sans hurried to apologize for Syrus's slip-up.

"Is it worth it, though? Are you more powerful combined?" Undyne asked.

"Definitely!" Syrus perked back up. "I bet I could take you!"

"OH I am SO up for that challenge!" She summoned her spears.

A wave of exhaustion rolled over Syrus causing him to break out in a sweat. "Uh...Actually...let's not." Sans was nearly out of magic. Most of the magic left in Syrus was Papyrus's own, and even that had decreased a fair amount.

"...SANS, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN RESTING ENOUGH." Papyrus accused, and Sans mentally winced. He had stayed up all night with Frisk because they'd had another nightmare. It had been a fun night, but it had also been a night Sans really needed to sleep. He had planned to take a nap around this time to be honest.

Undyne suggested that they separate and Papyrus agreed. "bro that was really weird to say." Sans muttered, feeling a little dirty that he had just vicariously called Undyne "mom". The two of them focused on their souls and gathered their own matter and magic back to them. It was both easier and more difficult to separate than it is to fuse. Easier because their original bodies came naturally to them, and harder because they needed to pull only their own matter and magic to them. Soon enough, though, Papyrus and Sans had managed it and found their own bodies collapsed in the snow.

Sans felt terrible as he slumped to the ground. His head was throbbing and his bones felt hollow. It was like the lab incident all over again, only he didn't have food to return some of his magic. Combined with his fatigue and exhaustion, he could feel the sickness already descending upon him. The snow felt good against his bones.

Frisk approached him with worry. "Sans?" They asked.

"erg..." Sans felt like he was going to throw up. Which would not be fun at all. "don't worry about me, kid." He gave them a shaky smile. "i'll be fine. just gotta get myself _grounded_ enough to stand." Frisk gave a small smile in return, and Sans felt a little cheered up because of it. They almost never failed to give Sans even a pity smile at his jokes.

Papyrus, the lucky bastard, was already on his feet and next to Sans along with Undyne. "CAN YOU STAND? DO YOU NEED HELP?"

Sans doubted he could move if he tried. His vision was fading on the edges. Shit. "i'm literally gonna pass out if i stand up, bro. help. someone call life alert."

"Oh crap, he's sick!" Undyne said and both of them lifted Sans up onto Papyrus's back. It was too much jostling for his poor bones and, like a light switched being flicked off, Sans passed out.


	9. Sick 'n Tired of Being Sick 'n Tired

**A/N: This won't be a long sickfic. I said at the very beginning of Hollow Eyes that Sans's chapters would range in size, so here I am finally following up on that. XD**

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Sans woke with a pounding headache and feeling much worse than he had been feeling while asleep. Actually, now that he thought about it, he didn't recall actually falling asleep. His memory was hazy and his face felt hot. In the unpleasant way that wasn't related to blushing. It was the type of heat that only appeared when Sans was sick. And god, did he hate being sick. What the hell even happened?

Sans rolled onto his side. He felt a bit nauseous, which reminded him of Frisk when they were sick. The memory was almost enough to make him barf, until he remembered why he was like this in the first place. He glanced down to see himself in his bed, and then slowly allowed his eyes to drift back to the door. He must have passed out. Which meant someone picked him up. He had warned Papyrus that he would pass out. Did anyone call Life Alert?

Sans shivered and his bones clacked together loudly. He groaned in pain and brought the blanket over his head. He should've had some food on him before he went to find Papyrus. He just never expected to fuse with his brother. The two of them just didn't fuse anymore. Sans was a different skeleton than he was way back when he and his brother would fuse together. He had been rather afraid of what Papyrus would hear while their souls were right next to each other, but it seemed like his brother had taken it in stride. Bless his brother.

Speaking of brother, where was he? Usually when Sans was sick, Papyrus couldn't stop bothering him. Currently Sans was practically cocooned in blankets, but that didn't mean anything. He didn't want to risk calling out, though. He didn't quite trust himself. So instead he looked around to get his bearings. He was in his own room currently, and it looked like Papyrus had picked up some things. Probably in a fit of worry. Papyrus needed to keep his hands busy when he worried.

Sans glanced at the wall above his bed and saw that his pet rock was still embedded in it. The poor thing just couldn't seem to get itself loose. Sans had told Papyrus that he was trying to let the rock develop independence, so neither brother had pulled it out yet. Sans was confident the rock would get down from the wall eventually. Frisk had said that the thought of the rock one day dislodging itself from the wall filled them with determination. Determination for what, they never explained, but apparently it was enough to form a SAVE.

Sans looked towards the window to see how late it was, but the blinds and curtains (added by after the sun kept waking him up) were closed. He patted his sides, but his pockets were empty. Actually, his outfit was completely different. He lifted the covers and saw that he was actually wearing pajamas. Pajamas with patterns for stars on them. When did he even get these? They're actually pretty cool.

The door cracked open and Papyrus poked his head in. He saw Sans awake and grinned broadly. "GOOD EVENING, BROTHER! YOU'VE BEEN OUT FOR A WHILE!" Papyrus entered the room and closed the door. His brother's voice made his skull throb more, but Sans was used to it. He barely registered just how loud Papyrus could be anymore.

"heya, bro. what time is it?" Sans asked as Papyrus dropped to sit on the floor next to Sans.

"NEARLY SEVEN. THE SUN'S BEEN DOWN FOR A WHILE!" So Sans had been out for a good two hours or so. "HOW ARE YOU FEELING?"

"pretty nasty." Sans admitted. He didn't even want to move if he could help it, but he still felt the urge to roll back and forth in the bed. He wanted to sprawl, but Papyrus had bounded him up pretty snuggly. "what happened to frisk n' undyne?" Didn't Papyrus say something about a sleepover this morning? Frisk was supposed to actually stay over again, right?

"WHEN YOU GOT SICK AND PASSED OUT, I TOOK YOU HOME. JUDGING BY FRISK'S TEXTS, THEY'RE WITH UNDYNE AND ALPHYS!" Papyrus huffed a little. "THEY STOLE OUR SLEEPOVER." So Frisk wasn't here right now. That was fine. Frisk had been texting them, though? He should probably respond.

…Meh.

"did anyone explain monster sickness to the kid?" Sans asked.

Papyrus frowned and considered it. "NO IDEA." He concluded. "UNDYNE MIGHT HAVE!" Well, here's to hoping. Sans certainly wasn't about to get his phone and explain anything. Sans shifted downwards and allowed the blankets to swaddle him. He was considering napping again when Papyrus asked, "ARE YOU HUNGRY?"

Sans felt ready to eat despite the nausea. Papyrus was getting better at making food, but he wasn't sure he could Papyrus's cooking right now. He could probably handle it if it wasn't spaghetti, though. Papyrus had actually learned how to properly make stew and soup from Tori, so maybe he could have some soup. "yeah, bro. i'm all bones over here."

Papyrus groaned and stood up. "I CAN SEE YOU'RE ALREADY WELL ENOUGH TO CRACK AWFUL JOKES!" Sans grinned as Papyrus's pocket vibrated and lit up. The skeleton pulled out his phone and clicked it on. His face lit up at the sight. "SAN! FRISK IS SNAPCHATTING US!" He threw himself onto the bed beside Sans and got in close to show him. It was a couple of pictures of what looked to be a restaurant. Frisk was indeed out with Alphys and Undyne and, well, Frisk looked like they had dressed themselves again for the occasion. Sans was actually surprised that Undyne had let the kid go, but whatever. Sans wasn't one to judge outfits. They were cute enough.

Another picture came in then and both Papyrus and Sans burst into fits of laughter at it. Frisk and Alphys looked to be cracking up while in the background Undyne was a blur as she ran past. According to the caption, she had eaten some wasabi. Sans wasn't sure what that was, but judging by the pun it was pretty spicy. He laughed until he started coughing. Papyrus put the phone away and wrapped his arms around the Sans burrito and buried his face into it.

Sans's grin weakened some as he turned to his brother. What was this? "papyrus?" He asked, a bit worried

Papyrus lifted his head and thunked it against his brother's skull. "…WHEN WE WERE SYRUS…" He began and Sans tensed up. Oh no. "SANS, YOUR LOVE IS REALLY HIGH."

Sans gave his brother a pathetic shadow of a smile. "that's what happens when you kill people, pap."

"BUT YOU DIDN'T DO IT WITH THE INTENT OF VIOLENCE!" Papyrus protested, sitting up some. "THOSE WERE FOR EXPERIMENTS! ONES THAT YOU DIDN'T…PURPOSELY WANT TO HURT THE KIDS FOR…RIGHT?"

Sans watched his brother. "…the EXP and LV didn't come from the kids, papyrus." Papyrus tilted his head in confusion. "…the EXP all came from fighting chara. apparently EXP doesn't transfer…but LOVE does if you remember why you got it. ghost LOVE or some shit."

"…OH." Papyrus replied.

"yeah."

Papyrus laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. Their skulls continued to touch. Sans soaked up his brother's presence. It was almost strange to not be fused with him anymore. "I DON'T LIKE THE BLASTERS." The taller skeleton blurted out.

"yeah." Sans agreed.

"THEY LEFT ME VERY BONETROUSLED."

Sans laughed. "they leave me bone tired."

This time both of the brother giggled together. Sans wiggled and Papyrus took the cue to release his smaller brother from his burrito. Sans stretched and made a noise at the sound of his bones creaking and snapping into place. "UGH!" Papyrus said. "YOU SOUND TERRIBLE!"

"i need some healing, bro."

"HEALING HUG, ACTIVATE!" Papyrus shouted and Sans spread his arms as he was pulled into Papyrus's hug. He could feel the slight shaking in Papyrus's bones. He was tired out too. If Sans could, he wanted to convince his brother to nap with him. A nap sounded really great right about now. Plus, Papyrus's healing hugs did wonders for brothers who didn't want to think about depressing things.

But there was a knock from the front door and all of Sans's plans went out the door. The brothers looked at each other before Papyrus tucked Sans back in and bounded out the door. Sans heard his brother's greeting, but he couldn't hear who was at the door. Soon after footsteps came up the stairway and the door opened to reveal Papyrus and Toriel. Sans was a little surprised to see Tori. He hadn't seen her since she had grounded him from seeing Frisk. Papyrus had been the one to convince her to allow Frisk on the "surprise" date with Sans.

Tori smiled softly at Sans and lifted her hands to show him the container she carried. "I'LL GET A BOWL AND SPOON!" Papyrus announced before he jumped out of the door. Sans could just see him somersault off of the second floor to the first floor. Toriel looked around the room curiously before she approached Sans and placed the pot down.

"Hello, Sans." She said.

"hey tori."

"Frisk told me that you had fallen ill." She motioned to the pot. "I have brought you some soup."

"tori, that idea sounds _soup_ er." Toriel began to laugh and Sans felt immediately better. He had been kind of scared that Tori was still angry with him, but she was laughing happily at his jokes again, so he can't be in too deep of trouble.

Her eyes began to twinkle with mirth and Sans felt anticipation building. He recognized that look and waited eagerly as she said, "I didn't want you to think that I don't _carrot_ all!"

Oh man, this woman was amazing. She bit her lip as Sans responded, "i hope it wasn't a _broth_ -er."

"No _broth-_ er at all!"

"OH MY GOD! I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW BIG OF DORKS YOU TWO ARE!" Papyrus complained as he reentered the room, and Toriel and Sans both cracked up. Papyrus tossed the bowl onto Sans's lap.

"Actually," Toriel said as she calmed down, "I cannot stay too long." She patted Sans's knee from atop the covers. "I have a dinner date."

"WITH WHO?" Papyrus asked cheerfully.

Toriel didn't meet his eye. "I'm sorry, Papyrus…but I don't want it getting spread over the town. So I'm not telling you."

"that's what you get for being a gossip, pap." Sans teased as his brother sulked a little.

"THAT'S FAIR." Papyrus admitted with a shrug. "I CAN'T HELP THAT MY FOLLOWERS ALL LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT MY LIFE! IT IS VERY EXCITING!"

"Before I go, though," Toriel pulled her purse into her lap, "I have one more get-well gift for you. It is just a loan, though. Did Frisk ever introduce you two to Mr. Harrington?"

"ONE OF FRISK'S FRIENDS?" Papyrus asked. Sans felt like he'd heard that name before…but couldn't remember when or where. Perhaps in the last timeline?

Toriel had a secret smile on her face. Sans watched curiously as she pulled out a small skeleton dressed to the nines from her purse. . It looked to be mid-dance and was barefoot. Both brothers stared at it, baffled. Toriel grinned and placed the skeleton on the ground near the wall before flipping a switch. A bright purple light came on with the word "spoopy". Mr. Harrington started to dance.

"WHAT THE HECK? THEY SPELLED 'SPOOKY' WRONG!" Papyrus said.

"Frisk said that was on purpose, apparently!" Toriel corrected. Sans was still staring at Mr. Harrington. Mr. Harrington was staring back at Sans. Sans thought he seemed a little pompous.

"HE'S SO COOL! LOOK AT THOSE MOVES!"

"He was without clothing before." Toriel explained, and Sans smirked.

"poor kid had to deal with a nudist." Mr. Harrington's dance became a little more stilted.

"HUMANS ARE SO SCANDALOUS!" Papyrus declared as his cheekbones turned red. "SELLING NAKED SKELETON TOYS!"

"humans can be pretty kinky, papyrus."

"WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?"

" _Anyway_ ," Toriel stressed, "Frisk informed me that Mr. Harrington would often make them feel better when they weren't feeling good. So I thought you might enjoy his company. He's a cheerful fellow, isn't he?"

Sans picked up the skeleton and looked at it from all angles. Mr. Harrington stopped dancing. He guessed it was kind of cool. So this was Frisk's nightlight when they were baby bones. Was this thing the reason why the kid hadn't been too scared of monsters?

"thanks, tori. for the soup and the company."

Toriel smiled and stood, and Sans understood that he was officially forgiven. At least by Toriel. He wasn't sure how good at holding grudges Asgore was. She bid them both farewell before seeing herself out. Papyrus moved to fill up a bowl of soup for Sans. Sans's mouth watered a little at the smell. It smelled great. Nothing was better than a home-cooked meal with fire magic. He was sure this would heal him right up.

"HERE, SANS!" Papyrus said as he climbed onto the bed with his own bowl of soup. He held his phone out to snap a picture of them both, and Sans smiled a bit. He was starting to feel exhausted again. Papyrus typed quickly and sent the picture out. Looks like he was snapchatting back. Sans scooped up some of his soup and took a bite. The food diffused into him and he groaned at the taste. It was fantastic. He could already feel himself healing right up. Beside him Papyrus started making some expert comments on the consistency as well as the flavors of the soup. Just like he had seen Mettaton do on his cooking shows.

They both ate two bowls and afterwards Sans didn't even feel sick anymore. His bones felt nice and sturdy again, and the fulfilled feeling left him drowsy. He grabbed Papyrus's arm and gently pulled him down onto the bed. Papyrus protested some, but Sans wasn't having it. Papyrus may not like sleeping much, but today had exhausted them both.

"just like old times, bro. remember how we would nap together after fusing?"

"THAT WAS BECAUSE IT FELT WEIRD TO BE AWAY FROM YOU!"

"it still feels weird. doesn't matter that we're older now."

Papyrus rolled this thought around in his head before he accepted it. "OKAY! I WILL GRANT YOU MY COMPANY WHILE WE BOTH NAP! AND THEN WHEN WE WAKE, LET'S GO TO UNDYNE AND ALPHYS'S HOUSE TO TAKE BACK OUR HUMAN!"

"heh heh heh, sure pap."


	10. Let's Re-Star-t

**A/N: Full title: Let's Re-Star-t (Unexpected, but Not Totally Unwelcome.)**

 **Takes place after "The Sleepover Gets Awkward"**

* * *

A farting noise woke Sans from his nap. He blinked slowly in confusion wondering if perhaps Frisk had farted in their sleep, but he remembered he was alone tonight. Frisk was with one of their parents and Papyrus was spending the night at one of his friends' houses. That left his phone. He rolled over and blindly patted the rug around his bed until he found his shorts from yesterday. He dragged them closer and felt the pockets, but only found his pet rock hiding in them. Damn. The rock must have moved the phone.

Sans tried to think of where the phone would've gone, but must have dozed off again. Another farting noise woke him up. He glanced and saw his phone lighting up on the floor not far away. Reluctantly, he dragged himself out of bed. He flopped face first onto the ground and rolled onto his back. With his foot, he dragged his pet rock across the floor to grab it before using it to extend his reach just enough to drag his phone close. He clicked it on and looked at the message on it.

 **Sans? I know it's, like, really late, but can you come up to the mountain? Where we all left the underground? *hopeful face***

 **...Sans?**

Sans rubbed at his face and double-checked who the sender was. It was Alphys. That was surprising. She never messaged him. Usually anything she had to say was relayed through Papyrus. Even when they had been at the sleepover, she had pretty much ignored him. Other than the occasional comment, of course, because she wasn't rude. But every time she failed to say something to him, Undyne seemed to pick up on it. Apparently she had been on high alert for any changes in the scientist.

But why was she calling him to Mt. Ebott? It was worth his attention. Had something occurred? He doubted that, though. She wouldn't have sounded so casual if so. But it was enough for him to get up and actually put some clothing on. He then left the house to get his moped and start driving. He yawned on the way up, but he was already almost awake. He had only been taking a nap, after all. He had plans to go back down into the lab. He had some ideas he wanted to work on.

When he arrived at the location, he found a very bundled up and nervous Alphys standing next to a rather fancy telescope. Sans recognized her thermal wear. He supposed it probably was really cold for people with skin out in this mid-February air.

"sup." He said, turning off his moped and dropping his helmet onto the seat.

"O-Oh! Um, there you are! I was...worried you wouldn't come." Despite the cold, Alphys seemed to be sweating. Her glasses were fogging up a tiny bit around the edges.

"you usually don't ask for me to go anywhere...so i figured it was important." He smiled lazily. He was still wary to be around Alphys, but not nearly as much as she apparently was.

"N-N-No! It's not, um, super important!" She fretted, rubbing her hands together. "It's just...um...Fr-Frisk told me you like...stars. And I, um, recently studied them? Y-You know, the," she swallowed, "telescopes?" She motioned to the telescope next to her. "So I thought..."

Well. This was interesting. "you wanna stargaze?"

"Ohhh, this was a stupid idea!" She muttered to herself, rubbing a gloved hand over her face. "I shouldn't have done this...!"

"chill." Sans said, walking up to her. "although...your clothes keep you warm, right?" He winked.

She gave a tiny smile before it dropped. She seemed slightly more relaxed. "S-Sorry to drag you out here...but this, um, has..." She looked up at the sky, and Sans joined her. This far away from major cities, there were an amazing amount of stars. Tonight was clear, and even the moon was dark. He recalled one of the first times he came out to look at actual stars. He had been overwhelmed at the sheer enormity of the world and the knowledge that there was so much out there. There were so many things outside of this planet, and he had been born underground. Trapped away from the palette of the sky. He loved the stars because of what they represented: everyone's dreams, the science of their creation and their destruction, their beauty, and the symbolism of stars. Guides of the night. Shapes in the sky. Constellations that tell stories.

"show me." He told her. And she smiled before leading him over to the telescope. Alphys showed him all kinds of constellations. She pointed out where the planets would be in the sky, and the ones that could currently be seen. She told him stories that she had read made by human scientists. She told him the stories behind the shapes in the sky. About the Greeks, and about the few stories she had found on monster constellations. Sans in turn told her about the science behind stars. About the museums he and Papyrus had visited when they had escaped the underground.

"When did you do that?" Alphys asked. She was smiling and finally relaxed. It reminded Sans of them together in the past, when he would have scientist nights. Where all of them would gather together and just go drinking or just chat. No work. They had all been friends.

Sans fell quiet, realizing he had slipped. That hadn't happened in this life. Alphys picked up on it immediately. She watched him, wary of his change in mod. They had been getting along easier...but Sans could still feel the weight in between them. The horrible rip in their relationship. Sans had people to rely on...but Alphys clearly hadn't told anyone her story. The Amalgamates were her biggest mistake (whereas it was completely Sans's failure with Gaster), but she had been there that day. She, too, bared the burden of knowledge. He would've thought she would've told at least Undyne, but apparently not.

Sans didn't respond, instead staring out over the sea of trees. The stars were silent, but their presence seemed to whisper to him. He had wondered out loud to Alphys earlier about if the stars were maybe made of magic just like they were, but she hadn't been able to answer. How was it, then, that so many monsters resonated with the lights in the sky? Was it just because they seemed magical?

"...I told...Undyne." Alphys said quietly. Sans didn't turn to her. "She was surprised...but I think she'll, um, stop hassling you now."

"s'cool. she doesn't bother me." Sans said. He doubted she would actually hurt him just because it would upset Papyrus.

"She took it...a lot like the Amalgamates. Really well..." She paused, "I'm, um...glad."

"good."

Alphys hesitated. Sans could practically feel her question wanting to be voiced. He looked at her and waited. She sighed and straightened a little. There was a hardened look in her eye. Determination, Sans recognized. But also a cautiousness. "Sans...Papyrus and Frisk both know about Dr. Gaster too."

"yep." He confirmed.

"You wouldn't...tell them without some kind of prompting." Damn it. She knew him too well. "Sans...what happened?"

Sans closed his eyes and lowered his head in resignation. There was no use fighting or avoiding the topic. Alphys could be like a dog with a bone sometimes. Sans didn't doubt that Frisk had let something slip at one time or another. The two of them weren't holding their secrets as close to their chests as maybe they should be.

"gaster happened." He said. She gasped quietly next to him. He didn't open his eyes as he explained to her what had happened down in the Core. He explained about the missing memories and how Frisk had found the mysterious door. He explained Gaster's confrontation with Frisk and the resulting jumping. Quietly, he added the information about how he had tried and failed to fix the time machine...and about his subsequent loss of control.

"So that's how Frisk got their scar. And why they were injured!" Alphys breathed, understanding dawning on her. She seemed shocked by everything. Sans wasn't sure if it was because of Gaster, or hearing about his loss of control. Sans controlled his magic extremely well for someone who didn't train, and Alphys knew this. Alphys swallowed. "So Dr. Gaster is...after Frisk?"

"probably." Sans muttered. He didn't feel comfortable with explaining any of this aloud. Gaster could be anywhere and anywhen. Did he already know any plans that Sans was developing? Or had developed? Or will develop?

Alphys took off her glasses and cleaned them with her jacket as she thought. "...So we need to...make something to defend Frisk."

Sans couldn't help his grin. Frisk really had made some great friends. There was no question involved that Alphys would help them. "that's what i was thinkin', yeah."

"That, um, ring Frisk has. That's anti-time metal." Alphys stated. So she had recognized it. "Was that part of...?"

Sans nodded. He had chosen that metal for a reason, after all. One, because if Frisk ever RESET or loaded a SAVE, the ring would go with them. And maybe remind them if they forgot this timeline. And two, because it should keep Frisk stable in case they're attacked again. Alphys should already understand the second reason.

Alphys put her glasses back on. She leaned back on her hands to stare at the stars. "We need to...tell everyone. This isn't something we can keep secret."

"i know. but there are...other things." Sans said. He gazed at the vague outline of the new moon. "things that...frisk isn't ready to tell. so. we're waiting. and then we'll tell everyone together."

Alphys watched him for a moment before saying, "Hopefully soon." Sans didn't respond. She wrapped her hands around her tail. "We'll tell them about Dr. Gaster...together. The king and queen."

"does asgore know? about anything?"

"No." She sighed. "He doesn't remember Dr. Gaster at all." That was a shame. Sans had been somewhat hoping the old king had. It was a pointless hope anyway. "B-But in the meantime...I want to help you. My lab...is available. If yours is still under repair." She smiled at him hesitantly.

He smiled back. "careful. i might _lab-_ or under the impression you wanna hang with me."

Alphys rolled her eyes good-naturedly and pushed his shoulder a little. "Only if you want to."

"sure, then. i might take you up on that." Sans looked back at the stars and pointed to one. "so...that one's a monster?"

"O-Oh! Yes! Look, see the wings?"

* * *

 **A/N: I believe someone(s) requested "Stargazing" and "Alphys and Sans".**


	11. Cat-astrophe

**A/N: Sans gets a cat. This is not welcome.**

 **Takes place around the time of "Sans Gets Arrested...Again".**

 **This chapter is a little short. Actually, fairly short in comparison. This comes from two things 1. Because I need to get back into the groove and 2. It's just an introduction to Cat (aka Hot Cat). So expect this cat to appear as a guest star in both TMFF and THE.**

* * *

Sans had recently acquired a new pet. It was a cat, completely black but with one white spot on its middle toe. As far as Sans knew, this cat was female. But he was only judging that based on how high-pitched her yowl was. She wasn't that big, but she was pretty fluffy. She liked to rub up against Sans and demand attention, but she didn't actually like receiving attention. She usually just wanted the focus on her.

Sans had not picked this cat as a pet. He didn't even want this cat. Frisk had brought the cat over to his house one day. The kid had come over to him eagerly with the animal in their arms when Sans had been ready to head out to Grillby's for lunch. The cat, cradled in their arms, had glared at the world, but had seemed to have succumbed to Frisk's determination. The kid had held out the cat to Sans.

" _uh...what is this?" Sans asked, eyeing the creature. He wasn't sure what caused it to seem so, but the cat always seemed to be angry. Or at least, it looked furious despite its relaxed state. Its tail began to flick at the mere sight of Sans._

" _Mom...doesn't know about it. But it's...alone. Can you watch it for me?" Frisk asked. Sans stared at Frisk's hands. They were littered with scratches, some of which were bleeding lightly. Now that he looked, there were a couple on the kid's face as well. This didn't seem like a good idea._

" _maybe just let the thing go. seems healthy enough." Sans suggested. He didn't want the cat in his house. He didn't want Frisk to be even holding it. Clearly it was unhappy to be held, if the ears that were quickly flattening against its head were any indication._

 _Frisk didn't respond, but Sans saw the disappointment deflate their figure a bit. "But..." They protested quietly. They pulled the animal back to their chest. This, apparently, was the last straw for the cat as it shrieked and bit down hard on Frisk's hand, kicking and scratching at their chest with their hind paws. Frisk cried out and the cat clawed its way to their shoulder before jumping off and streaking into the nearby bushes._

 _Sans's jaw tightened as Frisk sighed lightly. "fur_ _real, pal. just let the thing go. seems pretty catty."_

" _No." Frisk said, and Sans dreaded watching the determination harden their face. They didn't go after the cat, though. The both of them waited in silence, neither speaking. Sans was just about to suggest they head over to Grillby's together since Frisk had come all this way, when from the bushes the cat skulked out again. Sans watched as it approached Frisk and rubbed up against their legs affectionately. Or, as affectionately as a furious cat can be. Frisk leaned down to pick it up, and the cat started yowling at the first touch. Its yowl became a growl as Frisk cradled the cat again. It bit their hand, but Frisk refused to let it go._

 _Sans watched this with a mild feeling of confusion and annoyance. Why was Frisk suddenly so intent on keeping this clearly evil cat? Even now it was scratching at them. "er..." He asked, "tori won't let you keep it at your place?"_

 _Frisk shook their head, and the cat attacked their hair. Frisk kissed the top of the cat's head, and it swatted at them. Frisk dodged the attack._

" _that thing hates everything." Sans observed. The cat hissed at a person passing by Frisk. The person yelped and scurried off. "like it wants to kill you."_

 _Frisk shrugged. "Everyone's tried to kill me." They admitted. The cat glared at Sans. Sans stared it down. The cat growled warningly._

So now Sans had a new cat. Not that he hadn't tried to get rid of it secretly. The cat, just dubbed Cat because Frisk never came up with a name so Sans had to come up with something (but sometimes he called it other things when the punning was appropriate), had hidden in various places around the house on the first day. Sans didn't want to feed the thing, but he had set out some of Papyrus's spaghetti from his food museum. Catabunga hadn't taken the bait. The creature hissed whenever Sans passed by its hiding places and swatted at his legs, but never actually managed to do damage. He wasn't sure if it was because Catcha Mouse didn't have any actual killing intent, or if it was because claws didn't do much against bone.

Papyrus had been just as iffy about the feline in the house as Sans had been. Cattitude refused to let the loud skeleton touch her and would attack his face whenever he managed to get too close. Papyrus wasn't discouraged by it, but he did suggest that they get rid of the cat. Which Sans was totally for. Until Scategories managed to run off the annoying dog that plagued Papyrus's life.

They were stuck with the cat.

Sans glanced at the creature as it sat on the couch next to him. It was curled up so that its paws were tucked under the fluff of its body, but its tail was twitching. It twitched faster the longer he stared at it. Cat met his eyes and narrowed its own bright blue ones. Sans was unaffected. He reached over to pet the cat. It started purring at his touch. Cat purred quite a bit for an angry cat. Frisk says it's because she's happy. Sans thought it to be more of the beginning of a growl because after a few pets, she would start to whine, then growl, then attack his hand. Especially if he went after her stomach. She clamped her teeth and claws onto his hand, kicking at him furiously with his back paws.

"SANS! LEAVE CAT ALONE!" Papyrus called from the kitchen.

"i'm just petting her, bro." Sans wasn't lying. But he was also making Cat float with his magic. The cat struggled and raged as she released Sans's hand, only to find herself in the air. This wasn't the first time it had happened. The cat was well-aware that Sans could do this, so it would always hiss at him.

Papyrus poked his head out of the kitchen and cried out in anger. "SANS! PUT HER DOWN! THIS IS WHY SHE HATES US!"

Sans was fairly sure someone shit in this cat's corn flakes at a very young age, but Papyrus just thought she needed some _paws-_ itive reinforcement (Papyrus's own words. Sans was so proud.) He released the cat over by the television. The cat landed on her feet, fur puffed up and ears flat, before she dashed over to a shelf to hop onto it. She curled up and glared at Sans. Sans mentally added another tally to his list of wins.

Sans: 12, Cathletic: 4

"MAYBE IF YOU TREATED HER NICER, SHE WOULDN'T BE AS ANGRY." Papyrus pointed out.

Sans doubted that. "sure." He said without commitment.

"GOOD!" Papyrus smiled and went back into the kitchen where Sans could smell fish cooking.

Maybe saying that Sans hated the cat wasn't quite right. He didn't like the cat, but the cat seemed to love him. And he had no idea why. He certainly wasn't nice to it, but he wasn't super cruel either. The cat was the target of a lot of his most recent pranking, though. It'd had water poured over it, its litterbox moved to high places, and it had been petted when it didn't want to be pet. But still the cat loved him. Sans considered that maybe it was because the cat just seemed to want attention in any form. He could give it that. It wasn't a bad cat...just a grumpy one.

He heard a soft thud, and something began to burn. Sans hoped that Papyrus wouldn't burn down the house. They were still paying off the roof from last month.

Alphys and Undyne hadn't been too happy about the cat. Alphys because she was somewhat allergic apparently, and Undyne for...obvious reasons. It didn't help that the cat had bitten one of her fins on their first meeting. The cat had been run off with various spears thrown at it. It wasn't useful to have the cat around when Sans needed Alphys to join him in his lab for one reason or another. Now that it wasn't a secret from Papyrus, they had expanded the laboratory and added a second door within the house for easier access. Sometimes when Sans and Alphys went down there, Catastrophe would follow after them. Alphys would sneeze, but Cat actually seemed to know not to cause trouble in the lab. So Sans didn't bother to remove her.

The burning smell was getting stronger. Sans was almost tempted to get up from his lax spot on the couch to go see what Papyrus was doing. That didn't smell like the usual burning of food.

Toriel and Asgore had been delighted at the sight of Pussy the Cat. However, that had only lasted as long as it took for the cat to scratch Frisk. Toriel had been very displeased after that. The biggest surprise of that meeting had been CatScratch's reaction to Asgore, though. He had taken a seat on the couch, and Cat had hopped right up onto his lap. She had pawed at his lap before curling up to nap on it. She had a very regal air about her. Asgore had been thrilled. He had been stuck in that spot for hours, unwilling to disturb the peacefully sleeping kitty. Frisk had been determined to have it happen to them as well. But it had been a couple weeks of Frisk spending time with the cat, but she still didn't seem to like them. Frisk wouldn't give up.

"WHAT'S THAT SMELL?" Papyrus called. Sans paused before looking around. Finally his eyes landed on the rug that was burning...and the knocked over candle that caused it. Sans looked at the cat. It seemed smug. Sans had to give the beast props.

Sans: 12, Hot Cat: 5

* * *

 **A/N: Oh yes, for those of you who were wondering if I was still alive, I am. I've had a...very rough holiday. Between personal problems and doing two jobs, I didn't have time to sit down and write anything worthy of a proper chapter. Hell, this barely counts. But I plan on posting for TMFF tonight or tomorrow as well. So look forward to that!**

 **Side note: I'm starting schooling soon and my schedule will be very busy. I do not know how this will affect my posting schedule, but I'll let you guys know as things progress. You can follow my tumblr for updates and such on that, but I'll also make mentions in future chapter notes as necessary.**


	12. Out of -Chara-cter

**A/N: Takes place around "Game Night" and "Obligatory Beach Scene" of Time Marches Forward (Finally).**

* * *

Frisk was being distant. Sans wasn't sure if it was something that they had noticed in themselves, but it was becoming more and more obvious to the people around them. The thing was, Frisk wasn't being physically distant. They still hugged their parents, still shared a bed occasionally with Sans, and still easily joined their friends on adventures. The distance that Sans had noticed seemed to be more mentally, he believed.

Frisk zoned out a lot. They would get a far-away look in their eyes and stare at nothing until something or someone brought their attention back to the present. Sans hadn't questioned it, because he was almost certain Frisk was getting lost in their memories. He didn't think that was particularly healthy, though. Frisk had never done that before. The kid didn't like to dwell on old timelines, and for good reason.

Toriel had been the first to notice considering she spent the most time around the human. Sans could see the concerned looks she sent her child when Frisk didn't think she was looking. Sans had yet to be confronted about it, because any time something went wrong with Frisk, Sans seemed to be the go-to person...and he supposed that was well-deserved. Which probably was for the best because Sans didn't have an excuse for Frisk.

The moment in the lab when discussing beach arrangements was not the first time Frisk had zoned out in the middle of a conversation, following one thought or another. Sans had seen the change suddenly come over them. Frisk was smiling softly like always, seeming contemplative, before their face suddenly dropped in confusion. Their eyes seemed hazy, looking at something nobody could see, before a familiar sorrow and self-loathing ghosted across their face. Sans's soul dropped at the sight of it, wondering what Frisk was thinking of. Clearly nothing good.

Alphys had noticed the strangeness come over the human as well. She shot an alarmed look to Sans before tapping Frisk's arm to bring them back. Frisk started back to their timeline and startled at the sight of Papyrus. Sans winced marginally. Oh. It was one of those timelines. Alphys looked as if she was going to ask Frisk if they were alright, but realized it was pointless. Frisk never answered truthfully, so she went with the original question. A bit of talking brought Frisk back to their normal selves, but Sans could still see the haunted look in their eyes as they joined Papyrus.

It wasn't abnormal that Frisk, or even Sans or Papyrus (sometimes), had flashbacks to alternate timelines. With Frisk and Sans, it came with the territory. With Papyrus, it was something he was noticing more and more. The good news was that Papyrus tended to only remember happy things (because in bad timelines, Papyrus would die early on and wouldn't suffer the pain of everyone else), but Sans still regretted that Papyrus was recognizing the variations in his memories. Sans often looked at people or places and remembered terrible things about them. It was hard to think of the good times when the bad times were so much more memorable.

Frisk, though…Frisk never zoned out this badly. Frisk would remember things and then move on. They never got lost in their memories. It wasn't normal, and Sans was troubled by it. Frisk wouldn't tell him about these moments. They wouldn't tell him what they were remembering. They weren't telling him what was triggering them. He worried that Frisk would become too lost in their memories. It clearly messed with their mind.

On the beach it had happened again. Frisk had come out of their thoughts gazing at Sans with suspicion. They had been glaring at their ring. Sans wasn't even sure they had noticed. But after that, they had been normal again. The trust was back in their eyes. Toriel had called them over to put on sunscreen while she questioned them on their health. She hadn't been able to see their face, but Sans had as they struggled to reassure her while they didn't even seem to believe themselves. They hurried off to join the others down by the waves while Sans hung out with Toriel.

"Something is wrong." She whispered, gazing at her child.

"yeah." Sans agreed.

Toriel leaned towards Sans. "Do you know...?"

Sans looked away. "no. i really don't."

"But you agree?" Sans nodded. The old queen fell silent. Then, after a moment, she asked quietly, "Sans...you would tell me if you knew...correct?"

Way to build the guilt Sans already had for lying to her. It's not like he liked keeping details about her child a secret from her. But what little information he knew he couldn't tell her. He smiled reassuringly at her. "yeah, tori. 'course."

Toriel seemed more reassured. Sans felt guiltier. Frisk needed to tell their parents soon. He knew the king and queen weren't idiots. They knew that Frisk had a large secret they weren't telling them. They just didn't understand how large of a secret it was. Sans understood Frisk's hesitation (which is why he would be the last person to push them) but eventually the parents would put on the pressure. Or, they would put the pressure on Sans. And Sans didn't like pressure.

All of this was worrisome, but Sans noticed something else that made Sans much more alarmed than the memories resurfacing with a vengeance.

Frisk was acting different. It was subtle and something that the others probably didn't notice. Sans didn't blame them, after all. They didn't know the signs to look for. But Sans did. He spent far too many timelines noticing these things. And he had known Frisk personally enough to know the nuances of their personality.

Sans tried to reassure himself. He was imagining things. Perhaps Frisk's memories were making them a little...tetchy. But that smile...Frisk wasn't devious. Not like that, anyway. But it could be a fluke. Something to fade. It wouldn't be the first time Sans had seen...Chara in Frisk's face. It wouldn't be the first time he had imagined it. It usually preluded times when Sans wouldn't be able to stand to be near Frisk. Perhaps he was to have a bad day soon?

(But Sans could never tell when that would happen.)


	13. DisCOVERT Something New

**A/N: Takes place after "Mettaton" but before chapter 20 in Time Marches Forward (Finally)**

 **The pieces are coming together a bit more. Also, I remember that people seemed to enjoy science Sans from WAY back in the early chapters, so I brought him back. '**

 **Also, I want to apologize about all of the cursing. In my head, Sans actually curses quite a bit. Maybe not out loud, but in his thoughts definitely. I rated the story to T because honestly cursing isn't that big of a deal to me. Seeing an "M" rating on a storyimplies things for fanfiction readers that just isn't present in this story. So I'm sorry if the cursing offends you at all, but the rating will be staying the same no matter how many times Sans drops the F-bomb.**

* * *

Ever since Alphys had been told about Gaster and a team had been formed, Alphys seemed to have semi-permanently moved to Ebott. Her work allowed her to move labs if needed, after all. It was the first time in close to a year that Undyne and Alphys were living apart again. Undyne needed to live in the city for her job, but Alphys was needed in Ebott. The women seemed to be handling it well, but Sans could tell that Alphys was becoming lonely. She wasn't used to actually living completely alone. She would often visit Sans and Papyrus now to make up for the loneliness, although Sans still felt she acted a little more awkwardly than usual around him. But she got on well with Papyrus now, so Sans didn't care.

Sans found less time to do his jobs as he instead began to focus his time more in the lab. He was sure that the police were glad considering he didn't even have time to pull pranks. But then again the missing billboard was probably baffling them enough, so he figured they could have a break for now. Sans, when he wasn't at the comedy club or hanging out at Grillby's, usually stuck to the lab doing research. The humans' internet was certainly useful and had quite a bit of data, but Determination wasn't something that anybody had studied. It was just an emotion for humans. It was amazing how the power of "love" showed up so much in media, but not really Determination. Humans were baffling. Determination, at least, could be measured.

Sans ran his hands over his skull before cupping his jaw. His bare finger tapped idly against his teeth as he watched Alphys fix the wiring on a small machine. It was risky what they were doing seeing as they only had so much determination actually stored away, but they needed to test some things and this was it. Alphys took a breath and nodded. Her hands were holding apart the doors of the prototype. Sans put on his gloves and facial mask before joining her. He grabbed the container of Determination (it was the color of Frisk's soul, he had noted a long time ago. A solid red that was almost as dark as blood, but yet light enough for it to be semitransparent. It was deceptively thick in viscosity) and a dropper. He carefully sucked up a milliliter of Determination.

Sans and Alphys shared a look, facial masks and goggles blocking most of the expression on their faces, before Sans put on drop of the Determination into the machine. Alphys quickly snapped the doors shut and Sans placed the Determination aside so both could watch through the glass to see the reaction.

Inside of the small machine was something that Sans and Alphys had even less of than the Determination. It was Gaster. Or, rather, some of his physical matter. Sans had suspected correctly in that the sludge that the machine had leaked had had bits of physical matter in it. There was a disturbing amount of Gaster in it, judging by the biological research Sans and Alphys had done (with the help of a select few human biologists who had been interested in monster biology). It had taken them a number of months to even manage to get this tiny bit of Gaster out. Sans tried not to think of the fact that they were essentially messing with Gaster's body. What they had collected so far was only about 3 milliliters of physical matter. And a drop of it –even to the amount of Determination that now sat close to it− was now in the box.

The strangest thing they had discovered about the matter was that it wasn't steady. Sans thought that Frisk's description of a television erupting with static was a perfect description because the matter itself seemed to fizz out like an old television. The box Alphys had created was made with a small bit of anti-time material. Yet another source that Sans was running out of. It seemed to do the job of keeping the matter right where they needed it. The problem they were worried about was how the Determination would react with the matter. Gaster's body had already been filled with Determination which was what had caused him to melt. But somehow this matter managed to go back and forth between wherever Gaster was now, and their reality.

"Sans..." Alphys murmured nervously, her language switching to Wing Dings automatically, "Are you sure this is worth it? It could be a waste..."

"gaster is planning on taking frisk's body. but why?" Sans responded. "what would be the point of their body? so his soul has a place to go to?"

"I don't think what you're implying is possible!" Alphys told him again. He'd heard it many times over the past few weeks. They were both still watching. The matter wasn't interacting with the Determination at all.

"what other ideas do you have?" Sans demanded. Alphys didn't respond. Sans swallowed, gritting his teeth. Human bodies can't absorb monster souls because monster souls don't linger without a body. It wasn't done. Only Boss Monster souls have the ability to linger for a few precious moments. But Gaster was still "alive" out there without a body. He wasn't a boss monster, but his soul still lingered. Was it just because of where he was now? Or was it because of the Determination?

The matter in the container didn't have Determination in it. They had managed to extract what Determination had lingered (causing them to lose a bit of the matter as well). But still it was somehow lingering on this plane. The question they were testing was "What would happen if Gaster's matter was reintroduced to Determination?" Sans needed to know. What happened with this experiment could give them clues as to what would happen if Gaster got a hold of Frisk.

Alphys was skeptical. She still considered the possibility that Gaster had been lying to Frisk. Gaster'd had always had a tendency to look down on those he thought were mentally inferior, so lying wasn't out of the ordinary. Sans wasn't so sure. What was the point of lying to Frisk about what he wanted?

"...open the box." Sans commanded.

"That would mean removing the anti-time material." She warned him, though they had both known this.

"consider what we just did the control. time to alter a variable." Sans said. It was improper technique, but they didn't have the resources to keep redoing the experiment. Alphys hesitantly removed the top. They both waited and watched as the matter began to glitch out again. It was one thing to see it under a microscope, but it was another to see it this large. It made sweat bead across the back of his skull. It reminded him far too much of what had happened to Frisk's arm. Sans was worried that it would just disappear completely. But instead it suddenly jumped. It didn't hop, but it actually _jumped_ much like how Sans jumped through shortcuts. The matter was suddenly on top of and absorbing the Determination. Alphys's hand shot out and gripped Sans's sleeve as the matter absorbed the Determination and began to solidify some. It no longer looked like some type of slime, but rather like clothing and what could only be defined as skin.

"Oh my god." Alphys breathed, and then the matter completely disappeared. The box was empty again. Alphys and Sans were both left shaken and stepped away from the box. They looked around to see if they could find the glitchy matter...but it was nowhere to be seen. Alphys released Sans and stumbled back on shaky legs onto a stool. She forcefully stripped off her gloves and dropped her face into her hands. Sans leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. His mind was reeling with the possibilities. The matter had turned into something solid. The matter had _reformed a bit of Gaster_. What did that mean?

Gaster had said he wanted Frisk's body...but Sans had assumed he was going to try to take control of it somehow. But that wouldn't explain why he attacked Frisk. Why would he attack a body he planned on controlling? Sans had just assumed it was because the scientist was insane, but maybe he was trying something else.

"Sans..." Alphys's voice was tiny. He glanced up at her. Her eyes were wide behind her goggles as she met his gaze. "Do you think this means...what I'm hypothesizing?"

"i think..." Sans responded, swallowing thickly. He could feel his bones trembling. Frisk's scream was resounding in his skull, blending with Gaster's final screams. "that the kid should never take off that ring."

Alphys removed her goggles and placed them aside. Her eyes darted to the now-empty box and shuddered. "Agreed." Sans wondered if he should tell Frisk about this. It would seem like the right choice, but they were struggling with something right now. He was unwilling to add more stress. There was something...not right with Frisk right now. Perhaps it would be better to tell them at a later date. Next time they decided to stay over at his place, he would maybe try to talk to them. Or see if they had anything to talk about with him.

Alphys stood up and removed her lab coat. "It's, um, really late." She pointed out. She glanced at the large analog clock on the wall. Sans didn't even bother to look. He didn't feel particularly tired at the moment. His mind was too full with horrifying possibilities.

"i get it." Sans pulled off his own safety gear and hung it up. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his shorts and gave Alphys a lazy grin. She fidgeted at the sight of it. "i'll get out of your scales. tonight's been, uh, really informative." He rubbed the back of his skull. "tomorrow we should try to recreate the results. it'll be worth using the resources."

"Y-Yeah, alright." She nodded. Sans gave a wave and walked towards the door, but paused as he heard Alphys's hurried shuffled gait after him. "H-Hey!" She called. "L-L-Let me...walk you home?"

Sans hadn't actually been planning on walking. It was too far. He was just going to take a shortcut back to the house. "s'no worries. i'm big bones now."

"Actually I...wanted to talk to you." Alphys was biting at her nails again. It was a habit Sans had heard Undyne complain about a lot. Looks like the woman wasn't quite over the habit yet.

"what about, pal?" He asked.

She motioned to the door. "We can...talk on the way! No need t-to, uh, hold up your night! Hahaha!" She abruptly stopped her nervous giggling realizing how fake it sounded. Sans didn't call her out on it and walked out of the door with her following. For a short period the two of them walked in silence. He could feel the tension radiating off of the woman next to him. Outside of lab work Alphys didn't try very hard to maintain conversation with Sans. They didn't have a whole lot in common in terms of hobbies and such. And everything else still felt a little taboo to talk about. So the fact that Alphys was actually outside walking with him instead of at home was really saying something.

Sans could wait her out. He knew she would talk soon enough. Knowing her, she was probably trying to build up the courage. He glanced at her to see her still gnawing on her claws. She seemed very stressed about all of this. A part of Sans was getting nervous just looking at her.

"It was...an accident." Alphys suddenly started, her hands dropping to grip the loops of her pants. "When I found it, I mean! I wasn't looking for it! I was just...trying to find some anti-time material. And I found..." She hesitated. Sans watched her. She closed her eyes briefly, took a steadying breath, and looked him in the eye. "Sans...I found the lunchbox."

Sans didn't falter in his steps, but his hands clenched in his pockets. His expression, he was sure was a stony smile. He should've known that this would happen. He hadn't considered moving the lunchbox to his room rather than keeping it in his lab. It's not like he needed to hide it from Papyrus anymore. He just never got around to doing anything with it. And now he'd fucked up.

"oh yeah?" He asked, grinning stiffly.

Alphys lost some of her confidence, but pushed on. "I-I-It really was an accident! But...I read the notes. And..." She looked down and away. Both of them were still walking, but the pace was slower. Sans didn't take his eyes off of Alphys. The whole of the town seemed to be asleep with the exception of those monsters and humans who prefer the night time. It was just the two of them on this street together. "It's...all true, right? You wouldn't...you wouldn't just make that stuff...up..." Her voice was soft in the night. Nearby trees rustled loudly in the warm spring breeze. Sans wished that he had his jacket so he had another layer.

"no. i wouldn't." He confirmed after a long silence. He turned forward to watch a squirrel run across the street. It paused to look at them before continuing.

"...How many timelines...?" She asked hesitantly.

"lost count."

Alphys tugged on her belt loops again. She preferred to watch her feet rather than in front of her. "I've had nightmares before...o-of terrible...horrible things. W-Watching on my cameras as...as so many people were..." She choked up a little and shook her head. "It's happened a lot. I thought it was just...something like a-a-a...recurring nightmare." She scoffed a little. "Like it meant something significant about me."

"nope." Sans said. "just memories of lives we didn't live."

"And they're all...Frisk's...no...Chara's? Fault." Alphys tried to confirm.

Sans shrugged. "for the most part, yeah."

Alphys took off her glasses and wiped her eyes. She sniffled some. "God, Sans! Why didn't you...Why didn't you tell someone?" She put her glasses back on, staring at him with wet eyes.

"i did." Sans admitted. "but nobody remembered after. so. i gave up."

"But this time?"

Sans didn't respond. His notes about this timeline went into a lot of detail, but it wasn't like he recorded his conversations word for word. He didn't really write about how all of this affected Frisk other than the basics. Just enough to make any other versions of himself curious. Or rather, satisfied enough not to be angry at Frisk. Alphys may have read the notes, but the notes didn't talk about the nights Frisk had cried in his arms. They didn't go into detail about how their body trembled when they woke up from their memories. They didn't explain the guilt that Frisk carried and thought about every time they looked at their family and friends. That fear of losing everything they had achieved.

"s'not my secret." He finally decided to tell her.

"But it was for..." Alphys struggled for an appropriate measurement of time, "years."

"s'not only my secret." She eyed him. Sans grinned at her. She looked away. They walked in silence for a few long paces. "...you gonna tell the kid?"

"I." She stopped talking. She scratched at the scales on her neck and swatted away some gnats that were flying curiously around her. "No." Alphys settled on.

"why not? they can answer more than me." It wasn't totally the truth. Sans knew nearly as much as Frisk did about the whole situation. But Frisk knew it firsthand.

"I'm going to...um...wait for them to tell me." She gave him a timid smile. "When they're ready."

Sans admired that decision. "so you're not mad at 'em?"

"I was." Alphys admitted while looking up at the stars. "When I...first read the notes. And the readings. I was...so upset. But. But the way Frisk was acting when we left the barrier...it, um, made more sense. And I thought about all this for a while. So...yes. I'm angry...but in a disconnected way. Does that make any sense?" She chuckled nervously.

Sans shrugged. "i get it."

"Have you forgiven them?" Alphys asked.

"no." Sans told her honestly. She looked surprised. He huffed a humorlessly laugh. "i get why they did what they did. but understanding isn't forgiving. i'll probably never fully forgive them. Ever."

"It's understandable." Alphys nodded, closing her eyes. "You've seen...a lot more than us."

Sans thought back to the times Alphys had mysteriously disappeared. He remembered her anger when she became queen. He remembered her pained hatred of the human. "i haven't always lost the most."

"Maybe not." She agreed. "But memories are...heavy things."

Sans smiled softly. "but i don't need to carry them alone anymore." He admitted quietly.

"What?" Alphys asked. Sans shook his head. She gave him a tiny confused smile before looking ahead at Sans's house that was coming up. "So...uh..." She struggled with words. "Haha...this is what it feels like...realizing that everything can be taken away from us."

"yup." Sans watched her carefully. He could see the distress and terror in her eyes, but she was fighting it.

"one thing i've learned," Sans suggested, "is that as long as the anomaly is happy, we have a better chance of moving forward in time."

"But Frisk...isn't doing well." Alphys must have better context for what was possibly happening to Frisk now. He felt a chill run down his spine as he remembered Mettaton's house. Papyrus had just been making a comment about Frisk's outfit, but the smile that Frisk had made when they had agreed...that wasn't Frisk. That smile was...He shuddered. Frisk had also looked so confused and lost when they had found the child at the dance party. They had seemed panicked for some reason. Sans suspected that they were daydreaming too much and they were getting timelines mixed up...but Frisk had never been much of a daydreamer. This was a recent thing. And it needed monitoring.

Sans just hoped that whatever things they were remembering, it wouldn't bring Chara back. He needed to talk to Frisk soon. Hopefully they would talk to him. They had been pretty tight-lipped about it up until now.

They finally arrived at Sans's house and he opened the door. Alphys stood outside and gave a wave and a smile. Before Sans could say his goodbyes, though, she called his name.

"D-Do you think that...that Frisk will...RESET?" She met his eyes.

Sans didn't respond. Instead he let the silence stretch a little too long before saying, "see ya, alph." He closed the door.


	14. Time isn't the Only Thing Running Out

**A/N: Sans's POV of "Snail Hunting" and "Before You Hurt Anyone" in TMFF.**

 **Hmmm I hope this is okay.**  
 **There may be some mistakes in here. I'll read over the story again when I have fresher outlook so please ignore the errors. (If you finding any really glaring ones, though, please feel free to point them out to me)**

* * *

Sans was having a pretty good day. Last night he had managed to get a full eight hours of sleep in, he had gotten Papyrus to get at least four hours of sleep in, and he and Alphys seemed have found another batch of anti-time material down in the True Lab that they hadn't noticed before. This morning Sans had woken up to rain, which was just fine with him because Papyrus didn't push him to do much when it was raining. Sans had lain in bed and stared at his ceiling fan lazily rotating because of the breeze his trash tornado made and considered if he even wanted to do anything today.

Hot Cat was laying on his chest completely undisturbed by her owner being awake. Sans was heavily tempted to scare her or shove her off, but chances were that he would just get attacked in the process. So he was even less inclined to move. The pitter patter of early morning rain made him drowsy and he closed his eyes. He didn't quite manage to sleep, but he did fall into a light slumber as his thoughts wound their way around each other. Thunder grumbled in the distance, more of a complaint than a threat.

Sans could probably get some work done today down in the lab, but Alphys wouldn't be joining him. She had been anticipating Undyne's arrival for the past couple of days and wanted to spend some alone time with her. Which was okay with him because he really didn't want to hear details. Also, Undyne wasn't exactly the best lab partner. She was good with heavy lifting, but she got frustrated easily and didn't know what the equipment was...which was a bad combination. So Sans imagined that when Alphys rejoined him in the lab, Undyne would probably be hanging out with Papyrus.

Sans could possibly get Papyrus to join him in the lab. Papyrus, though he didn't know anything about the science that Sans did, was a diligent worker. He tried his best to help out Sans and keep up a steady stream of talking to help keep Sans's stress down, which Sans appreciated. He also had some rather interesting ideas for things that Sans and Alphys could possibly make to help Frisk. Things like weapons or shields made out of anti-time material. The shields could negate Gaster's attacks and the weapons may actually work in hurting him. Frisk would have something to defend themselves with. The problem was making something small enough for the human to carry around daily and what kind of weapon to give them. Sans wasn't even sure if Frisk would want to have a weapon.

Sans hadn't yet suggested the plan to Alphys. The woman was still struggling with her emotions towards Frisk. It was strange and sad to see it on another person's face. Papyrus, unlike either Alphys or Sans, hadn't been around long enough to experience the worst of the genocide timelines. He was spared the memories and the hatred, and that was a small comfort in Sans's mind. He didn't know how Papyrus would've turned out if somehow Sans had managed to save his life. Chances were that Papyrus would've gone to confront the human sooner or later. Perhaps it was better that it was sooner.

But Alphys...Alphys had seen the one she loved killed on the cameras. She had been in charge of evacuating. And afterwards she had disappeared. Frisk had already confirmed the hypothesis that he'd had about those times. And not only were the absolute worst routes remembered, but the half ones too. The ones where Frisk...or Chara...didn't kill everyone but only a few. Too many still, but it was still not everyone. Alphys had more reason to hate Frisk than Sans did. Sans may have the weight of his memories, but Alphys had come to the understanding that her dreams where her loved ones had been killed over and over again in front of her were real. Sans hadn't been lying when he'd said that Alphys had lost a lot more. Sans only had Papyrus, but Alphys had more.

Sans rolled onto his side and then his stomach, throwing Hot Cat off of him. The cat made a noise of protest before she climbed onto his back and laid back down again purring. Sans buried his face into his pillow. The rain sounded a bit lighter. Today Frisk was supposed to be spending the day with Tori. That was great. Frisk needed a break from their routine. Maybe spending the day in Toriel's kind presence will help relax them from whatever was plaguing their mind.

That was another problem. The more days that passed, the worse Frisk seemed to get. Some kind of disease was infecting them...or something more sinister had gotten into them. There were...incidents that Sans had experienced the past couple of days after Mettaton's concert. When Sans wasn't working in the lab or at some of his various jobs, he had taken to following Frisk or keeping an eye on them. It felt a lot like back in the Underground when he had promised to watch over them. Frisk was usually fine and appeared normal. They would talk with their school friends, eat, laugh, sulk over work...all of the usual stuff.

But then.

Then there were the incidents. Incidents where Frisk would be walking and some kind of change would come over their features. They would marvel around them as if seeing an area they were used to for the very first time. They would suddenly break into a run, panicking over absolutely nothing. And they would pick up items like weapons to carry around with them (although they never actually hit anyone, thank god).

Those were worrisome, but not nearly as much so as the sudden violence Frisk seemed to have developed.

One such incident was out on the local playground. Frisk was hanging out with some of their school friends and just having a good time. Sans had stood off in the shadows trying not to appear too creepy (and luckily almost everybody in town knew him so they never questioned him). Frisk was in the middle of playing some kind of game with them. It appeared to be tag with some kind of strange rules. Sans wasn't sure. But one of the children pushed Frisk a little too hard. Sans personally thought the kid was just trying to be a jerk. And Frisk turned to the kid and shoved him down.

Sans knew Frisk and was very much aware that the kid didn't like to fight. They were a pacifist at heart. They would rather find another way to get out a confrontation than to fight back. He had seen it thousands of times before. So then why would they suddenly act out? Hormones possibly, but unlikely. Not with that face. Not with that amused smile as they realized that the kid had scraped his leg up on the ground. That wasn't Frisk.

Sans opened his eyes, no longer in a good mood. Man, he really hated stressing so early in the morning. The rain had stopped. When did that happen? Whatever. His bones were feeling a bit restless, and he realized that he wasn't going to be sleeping anymore any time soon. He lifted his head from his pillow and threw his blanket off of him. Hot Cat, caught in the flurry of blanket, meowed in angry protest as she rolled off of the mattress and scrambled to get out of the blanket. Sans stood up and avoided the swipe of her claws as she managed to get out of the trap. She sulked as she climbed back up onto his mattress and glared at him, tail flicking in annoyance as he left the room.

Downstairs Sans was actually surprised to see Alphys. She and Papyrus were doing stretches in the living room. Sans could see that she still clearly didn't like doing the exercises, but she was keeping up rather well with Papyrus. It was impressive actually.

"GOOD MORNING, BROTHER!" Papyrus called cheerfully, doing a side stretch. Sans remembered how Frisk had asked why skeletons stretch if they didn't have muscles. Papyrus had been baffled by the question because "YOU ALWAYS NEED TO STRETCH BEFORE YOU EXERCISE SO YOU DON'T HURT YOURSELF!" Frisk had left the encounter just as confused.

"heya." He waved to Alphys and Papyrus, skating around them to go for the kitchen. There were some spider donuts on the table courtesy of Alphys. Sans gladly took one to munch on before he rejoined the two out in the living room. "didn't expect to see you, alphys."

"A-Ah, yeah." She panted , trying to touch her toes. She stood up straight and started doing some jumping jacks with Papyrus. "C-Can to, ugh, visit while waiting for...Undyne!"

"I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GREAT TIME FOR SOME EXERCISE INSIDE! SINCE IT'S RAINING AND TOO WET TO BE OUTSIDE. YOU SHOULD JOIN US." Papyrus said.

"the rain makes me _creek_ -y." Sans joked.

"ALL THE MORE REASON TO JOIN US." Papyrus declared, firmly ignoring Sans's pun.

Sans was preparing to make another excuse when someone knocked rather insistently on their door. Everyone paused and glanced at the door. That was odd. Sans didn't feel like moving, so he just continued to sit in his chair. Papyrus made an annoyed noise at Sans's laziness and went to open the door himself.

"HELLO−"

"Hello, Papyrus, I am very sorry to cut you off but I need to see Sans immediately so please move!" Sans blinked in shock as Toriel all but muscled her way past Papyrus. She had a bundle of clothing in her arms, but her clothes were a mess of mud and water. She had tracked mud right into their house. Sans immediately looked for Frisk, since they were supposed to be with her, but they were gone. "Sans!" She cried in relief. Sans was instantly on his feet.

"tori, what's up?" He asked.

"Please come with me! Frisk has gotten worse and...and you need to talk to them! Please!" She looked close to tears. Sans felt his soul get chilly. What had happened to the kid? No time to ask.

"where?" He demanded.

"Asgore's house. He is currently watching them but...but I do not think it is a good idea to leave Frisk alone with him."

Sans had a couple guesses as to why. Judging by the nervous twitches and the desperate gaze, it wasn't anything personal against Asgore.

"i'll meet you. go on ahead without me."

"SANS?" Papyrus called as Sans hurried back up the stairs to his room. Sans didn't pause. He knew that Papyrus and Alphys (despite her reservations with Frisk right now, they were still good friends) would no doubt follow Tori, so there was no need to discuss it. He entered his room and grabbed his jacket to slip on (yanking it out from under Hot Cat) before he immediately found his way to the shortcut in the room. He took three different shortcuts before he arrived at the one outside Asgore's house. He didn't bother to knock as he entered.

The old King was in the kitchen, not so subtly listening to the sound of running water. Frisk must be taking a shower. Asgore had a familiar sad look in his eyes that cleared some when he spotted Sans. He mustered a smile. "Oh, howdy Sans."

"kid in the shower?" He asked without preamble, joining Asgore in the kitchen.

"Yes. Did Tori...Toriel get you?" Sans nodded.

"she's on her way. what's the story?"

Asgore sat down heavily in one of the large dining chairs. He had a tea pot and cups already set up. Perhaps it was a way to spend his time. His eyes darted back towards the hallway leading to the bathroom. "I am not certain. But I do believe Frisk's...'episodes' are becoming worse. Whatever Frisk experienced shook them quite badly."

The effects were lingering longer, then. Usually Frisk could brush off the episodes. Either they were becoming worse, or Frisk was becoming more frightened. It was entirely possible that the kid hadn't even been aware something was wrong. Both of them had experienced 'flashbacks' during the day before on random occasions, after all. But what was so different about these? Why were Frisk becoming so lost in their thoughts? It wasn't normal. Flashbacks were called flashbacks for a reason.

Confronting Frisk on the matter hadn't cleared anything up. Frisk hadn't been spending the night with Sans often. They were refusing his jacket more. Originally Sans had thought it had been a good sign, but maybe his jacket had just stopped working for them? He had managed to convince Frisk to stay at his house the other night, though. They had stayed up hanging out with Papyrus until they both decided the human needed to sleep. Sans had confronted them while they were particularly sleepy to see if being tired would make them more truthful. It had worked...but Frisk hadn't understood what 'daydreams' he had been talking about. They had told him that they were just zoning out. It was "nothing to worry about".

What utter horseshit.

"what happened to you?" Sans asked as he accepted the tea given to him. He mentally counted down in his head how long it would be until the others would be here. Alphys had probably told Undyne too. Sans also quickly calculated how long Frisk had been in the shower so long. If they were in there for too long, he was going in after them. He could hear movement, at least, so he knew they were still functioning. He wasn't against embarrassing the kid to get answers.

Asgore was silent for a long moment. Sans waited. Finally the old king spoke, "Tell me something, Sans, if you will...Have you ever...felt like you have done something terrible? Something that...in other circumstances...you know would be the route you would've chosen?"

"yeah." Sans admitted. Asgore looked at him with some shock. Sans was rather surprised with himself as well. A year ago he wouldn't have openly admitted such a thing. He wasn't sure how he felt about his sudden honesty, but it didn't feel right to lie to Asgore right now. Not about this kind of thing.

"Oh...really?"

"what brought this up?" Sans pressed.

"Frisk looked...scared upon seeing me. That strange haziness appeared in their eyes...like they were seeing me but not." So Asgore had noticed it too. Sans wasn't surprised. It was obvious to anyone who knew Frisk well enough, after all. "They told me...that they didn't want to fight me." He opened his mouth to continue, but instead closed it and swallowed thickly. He had yet to touch his drink. His large hands curled in response to his thoughts.

Frisk was clearly remembering fighting Asgore. Were they suddenly threatened by his presence? But Frisk hadn't been scared of Asgore since actually being in the underground. They loved Asgore, Sans knew. They wouldn't suddenly be frightened by his presence. Certainly not in that flower-patterned shirt he's wearing, anyway. What had triggered them? Was it just the sight of him?

This was foreboding.

The door opened again to admit Toriel, Papyrus, and Alphys. They were all rather out of breath from running. Asgore looked relieved to see Toriel there. Toriel gave Sans an appreciative glance before hurrying back towards the bathroom. Asgore stood to follow her.

Sans abandoned his untouched drink to join his brother and friend in the living room. Alphys was biting her nail again. "Toriel told us what happened." Alphys told Sans quickly.

"the kid's getting worse." Sans stated bluntly.

"IS THIS RELATED TO...?" Papyrus questioned, leaving the end hanging.

"W-we don't know for sure..." Alphys told him.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL WORK TO MAKE FRISK FEEL BETTER! ONE GIANT HUG WILL HELP THEM!" Papyrus announced. Sans grinned a little bit more honestly at his announcement, but the smile didn't last long.

Alphys turned to Sans. "I...texted Undyne. She's going to meet us here." Sans was unsure if that was a good choice. Asgore had been a threat to Frisk in the past, so how would they react to Undyne who had been...quite a large threat to Frisk?

 _not that i'm much better._ Sans thought to himself wryly. He had his fair share of human deaths under his bones too.

But Alphys clearly needed the emotional back up. And Undyne was Frisk's friend too. Maybe seeing all of them in one place will remind the kid that they're all there for them. They were Frisk's friends. Hopefully it would help to ground the kid.

Toriel and Asgore rejoined Sans in the living room, and this time Papyrus went back towards the bathroom no doubt to wait for their friend. Alphys bit her lip in confliction before she steeled herself and followed after. Toriel took a seat as Asgore crossed the room. He didn't want to be close to Frisk when the human entered the room. Sans positioned himself so he would be able to see Frisk immediately upon their entrance.

Toriel didn't hesitate to fill Sans in on what had occurred on the snail-hunting trip. Frisk had zoned out badly enough that they had fallen straight into a river. The river hadn't even been enough to shock them back to the present. They had panicked and clung to Toriel looking lost and very confused. Toriel wiped her eyes as she recalled how Frisk didn't seem to know where they were. And when they did finally come back to themselves, they had said some horrifying things.

"Sans please..." Toriel sounded terrified as she begged him, "can you help them?"

Sans swallowed thickly at this weight upon him. He didn't know for certain what was wrong with Frisk. He didn't know how to help them...but maybe this situation finally opened Frisk's eyes. Maybe they could tell him more. He needed to know what was actually happening to them. Was it Gaster, or was it their own memories? Were the timelines in their head crossing? Did Gaster somehow...transport them to their memories? But only in their head? It sounded insane, but Gaster had managed to create a whole room that was there. What were the scope of his powers?

Sans was saved from promising something that he may not be able to keep (god, he hated making promises) by Undyne knocking and entering. Papyrus and Undyne greeted each other before the woman entered the living room. She was frowning. Sans couldn't hear the water running anymore. Was Frisk out?

"Hey." She greeted. "Someone die here?"

"That's not funny." Toriel snapped. Undyne grinned uneasily and scratched her head.

"Sorry! That was...yeah, that was bad. Alphys told me the kid's in bad shape." Undyne and Sans shared a look. Sans nodded just slightly. She scowled and turned to Asgore. "So. Talk to me." She told them. While Toriel and Asgore filled Undyne in, Alphys reentered the living room. Sans glanced into the hallway and saw Papyrus standing alone waiting. The bathroom door was open. Papyrus sent Sans a reassuring grin. It helped some.

A few minutes later Papyrus and Frisk entered the living room. The kid looked...frankly, bad. Their body was littered with tiny scratches and their eyes were haunted. Sans had to briefly close his eyes against the image. They were clearly still shaken. The shower hadn't helped much. He could see some very tiny tremors running through their hands.

Toriel had been the first to approach. Frisk stared at Asgore with clear eyes. The king was clearly giving them space. Frisk looked saddened by it. That meant they actually remembered and understood what had happened to them. It was a step forward (or was it one backwards?). Frisk didn't answer Toriel's question on their state of being.

Undyne joked with Frisk when it happened again. Sans saw the transformation come over their features. Their eyes widened and their eyes became slightly unfocused. All of the blood drained from their face. The others didn't have time to react to the change in demeanor before Frisk cried out and fell backwards away from Undyne. Their eyes were terrified as they gasped with fear. Their entire body locked up but shook with violent tremors. They flinched as Toriel touched them before they threw themselves into their mother's arm.

"Toriel will protect me." They murmured in a mantra, seemingly unconsciously. "Protect me. She promised. She'll save me. She promised."

Sans felt cold at the sight. Toriel hadn't been exaggerating; Frisk was worse. Why were they taking so long to come back to themselves? Sans counted in his head the seconds. Undyne and Asgore held Papyrus back. Everyone was giving mother and child space. Sans glanced briefly at Alphys. He could see the woman was counting as well.

Frisk covered their ears against some unheard noise, squeezing their eyes shut. Then after a few seconds, they gained some control again. Their eyes opened, clearer now. Their breathing was still harsh. They stepped away from Toriel, visibly calmer, and signed in apology to Undyne. Alphys shot Sans a scared look.

Sans stepped forward and tried to put on a friendly smile. He didn't need Frisk seeing him as an enemy. He wouldn't hurt the kid, but they had reacted badly to Undyne and Asgore. Sans was just as bad as them. "hey." He called. They turned to face him. He waited for the episode to start...but it didn't happen. A trembling part of him relaxed in relief. "you...uh..." Shit, his voice sounded weird. He pushed harder to maintain normality. For Frisk's sake, "how you feeling, buddy?"

Frisk looked around them. They seemed wary of everyone. "Not...good." They told him quietly.

Fucking understatement of the decade. "yeah," he agreed, "you look a bit dazed and confused." Maybe his jacket would help. He had grabbed it for that specific reason, after all. He took off his coat and offered it. Frisk didn't reject it this time, gladly taking the clothing and putting it on. They immediately relaxed, which made Sans's soul feel lighter.

"Sans..." They said in their soft voice as they scanned their surroundings again, "We...we need to talk about Gaster." Behind Sans he heard Alphys gasp softly. Sans looked at Papyrus. He could see Papyrus's quiet insistence in his brother's open face. Papyrus had always thought that the Dreemurrs needed to be made aware of Frisk's situation and had been gently pushing Sans to tell them. Sans had only held back on both Alphys and Frisk's account.

However, Sans wasn't about to rehash the whole story. That would take too much time. He needed answers from Frisk now. He could always fill the Dreemurrs in fully later. Toriel would forgive him for holding out a bit longer.

"yeah." Sans acquiesced. "this has been...coming a while."

"Are you sure about this?" Undyne cut in, crossing her arms. "Does it have to do with...well, that crazy reaction to us?" Sans could see her wariness in the situation. Undyne had been against telling the Dreemurrs anything yet. She had wanted Alphys and Sans to have more information on the situation. Maybe resolve it without telling the parents. After all, Asgore had enough shit to deal with. She thought they should know, but she wasn't so sure they should know right now that...another one of their children was in danger. Sans could understand her argument even if he didn't completely agree.

Frisk didn't respond. Alphys spoke up then and agreed that Gaster needed to be talked about. She met Sans's eyes and tugged on her lab coat. There was a reluctant acceptance that the time has come located in those worried depths.

So Sans began to beat around the bush. He tried to steer the conversation through rocky waters to a place where he could confront Frisk. Toriel was displeased with him, and he cringed at the thought of losing her trust. He hated lying to people he cared about. Just another tally mark to add to his "Sans's Fuck-Ups" list.

Finally, though, the conversation allowed Sans to ask Frisk what was happening to them. He needed their point of view on things. He could guess all he wanted about what Frisk was experiencing, but without Frisk's details it was pointless.

Frisk looked mildly alarmed at the sudden confrontation. They looked down, shifting their weight back and forth on their legs before hesitantly saying, "My...I think..." A sweat was breaking out on their skin. Water from their improperly-dried hair was running over their skin and under their clothing. "I think...my mind is...scrambled."

That didn't sound good at all.

"Scrambled?" Alphys asked gently.

"Like...like my..." They motioned to their arm that had the scar on it. "But..." And then they motioned to their head. Sans hoped he was imagining the static ringing in his head right now. He could almost see the glitching extending from their arm to their head. He blinked away the image. "It's...mixing up my...memories. A-and because of that...I think I'm...h-hallucinating?" Their voice broke sudden. Their pupils shrunk and their eyes began to water as their breathing picked up again as their body began to shake. They were panicking.

"aw, frisk." Sans sighed, approaching them. He hadn't realized how bad it had gotten for them. He could only blame himself. He opened up his arms in offering. Frisk looked at him with suddenly hazy eyes. It was the only warning he got before hatred and fury filled their feature. They lashed out at him, barely missing him as he instinctively dodged.

 _ **Chara.**_ Sans thought in horror, eyes wide. It was Chara all over again. Magic built up in his body in reaction. No. He didn't want to have to kill Frisk. Not now. Not after all of this time. But it wasn't Chara. This kid wanted to kill him just like they had killed everyone he had ever cared for. This world was pointless. He needed them to quit playing this game. He needed them to stop. He needed to kill them before they destroyed everything. He couldn't allow them to continue. He just couldn't.

His hand began to glow slightly as he readied his bone attack, but something in Frisk changed. Sans blinked, and it was no longer Chara. It was Frisk staring at him with his own horror reflecting back at him. His magic faded as he took in the bloodless face of his best friend. Their LV was suffocating.

Frisk stumbled backwards, breathing sharp and shallow. Their head was slowly shaking back and forth, lips parted as if to deny what had just happened. Papyrus made a small noise and tried to approach them. Everyone looked as if they were going to Frisk but were hesitating to approach. That hesitance gave Frisk the chance they needed.

They fled.

"FRISK!" Everyone called, the human's name bursting even from Sans's mouth. Sans felt like his legs were bolted to the ground. He could feel himself shaking. He couldn't move. He needed to follow Frisk, but if he did they might kill him. He didn't want to die. Dying hurt so much. He couldn't leave Papyrus unprotected. He'll let them leave. He didn't need to follow them. He couldn't follow them. He needed to preserve his own life−

"SANS!" Undyne commanded in a panic, and Sans's body jolted forward. He forced his terror away even as every part of him screamed not to go after them. But still he ran out of the door and through the nearest shortcut. He was the only one that could keep up with Frisk when they had a head start. He just needed to stop them. He couldn't allow himself to think about dying.

This isn't Chara. This is Frisk. It's Frisk. Frisk, who needs help. Frisk, who he can't lose. Frisk, who needed him now more than ever.

 _you choose now of all times to think selfishly, kid!_ Sans berated them mentally as he finally found the right series of shortcuts. He saw Frisk, barefoot and fleeing, desperately running. He could only keep pace with the shortcuts. He found himself sometimes ahead of the human, sometimes on the other side of them. No matter how much he called to them, they didn't stop.

They spotted him, eyes crazed with their own fright, and purposely turned towards the mountain. Sans knew he couldn't follow them at this rate. He threw his magic at them, grasping for their soul in a desperate attempt to stop them, but they got out of range before the magic could take hold.

"frisk!" He screamed. The others were too far behind. Frisk disappeared into the forest. Sans fell to his knees, adrenaline fading as his shaky legs gave out from under him. He couldn't stand or run. He could only watch the human leave. He was disoriented from the rapid travel and the stress from the attack still hadn't faded. He could only point as his friends –followed by a few others who had seen their panic− caught up. Papyrus and Undyne, commanding some of the old guards that had been under her command in the underground, immediately went after Frisk.

Sans could tell there were hands on his shoulders, but he felt numb. He'd failed them all again.


	15. Juno

It had been over twenty-four hours since Frisk ran away. In that time period, Sans hadn't seen either Undyne or Papyrus. Both of them were still searching the forest along with some of the old guards that had been under Undyne's command in the underground. By now everyone in town had heard about Frisk's disappearance. The town was in an uproar. Everyone in the town knew Frisk and they all, for the most part, liked the child. Their monster ambassador. Child of the monsters. Savior of monster-kind.

Asgore and Toriel had asked the people of the town to help them scour the forest. The humans, in return, formed search parties. Monsters could easily take care of themselves in the wilderness for the most part, but humans needed communication devices. As soon as the parties were formed they set out. The sun had barely begun to set on that first day.

Sans didn't join in on the search parties. Instead he turned himself towards a place where he could be much more useful. He couldn't just go traversing through random shortcuts (that would get him lost much faster than any other method), so the best course of action would be to stay home. There were plenty of people out searching. Sans had bigger priorities.

Alphys had the same idea as they both locked themselves away in the lab. Alphys received updates from everybody in between the two of them working together. They gave up on experimenting for the meantime -neither of them could possibly focus on anything requiring that much brainpower at the moment- and instead decided to build the shield that Papyrus had suggested.

It was a simple mechanic that Alphys had created to fold her bed up. But because the shield would be small, there was no need for it to fold into a large cube. It would be thin, portable, and functional. If Gaster's attacks really were just how Frisk described, chances were that if they hit anti-time metal -no matter how thin- then the attacks should dissipate. It was a good plan.

The downside was how much of the metal was used. They had a limited amount, after all, and if they built this shield there wouldn't be enough for a weapon. But Frisk was less likely to use a weapon, so a shield was a better option. They would just have to make sure that Frisk was never really alone. The monsters could attack. The monsters would be Frisk's first line of defense.

But hours passed and there were no signs of Frisk. The shield was, for the most part, completed in the early hours of the morning. Alphys and Sans had collapsed onto the couch, but neither of them could really sleep. Sans could see the bags under Alphys's eyes. The woman clearly wasn't sleep well. Sans probably didn't look much better.

"...Why did we...do this?" Alphys asked. Her eyes gazed at the shield where it sat cooling. Sans followed her line of sight. He had been avoiding thinking about it. "It doesn't solve anything right now."

Sans closed his eyes. "i know." He had just needed something to do. Something to work the jittering out of his bones. Something to get his mind off of the feeling of his chest being sliced open. Something to get him to stop hearing screaming in his mind and tasting dust coating the air. Something that didn't remind him of something that had never actually happened.

Alphys's fingers dug into her lab coat. Her hands were shaking minutely at her thoughts. "This is...are we going to...wind up in the underground again? Are we...are we going to die?" She looked at him. "Are we just hiding in here while−?"

"no." Sans didn't open his eyes. The flash of hatred on Frisk's face filtered through his thoughts. He pushed them away. "i don't think we are."

"How do you _know_ though?" She pressed. She sounded on the verge of panic. "You said yourself that−"

"i know what i said." Sans snapped and then reined it back in. He ran a hand over his skull. He was shaking. Why was he shaking? He wasn't scared. He was fine. He was in control. "but frisk...the kid made a promise not to RESET if they can help it."

"...You didn't tell me that." Alphys accused softly.

"that's cuz it wasn't in my notes. and you didn't ask."

Sans could tell that his answer had annoyed Alphys. "But." She brought her thumb claw to her mouth to gnaw on it, "You don't believe them." Sans didn't respond. "H-how am I supposed to believe...if _you_ can't even trust them?" She demanded. Her voice began to raise, laced with her growing panic. "Wha-what if they R-RESET now? Or soon? All of this...It's all gonna−!"

"i trust them." Sans cut her off. Alphys fell silent, staring at him with small pupils and fast breathing. But she was listening. "i trust the kid."

"You don't show it." She accused again. Sans could hear the lingering anger in her voice. He wasn't sure if it was for Frisk, or for him. It bothered him how her words affected him. Because he knew they were correct. But he still needed to defend himself. Normally he wouldn't care what anyone thought about him in relation to Frisk, but this kind of thing...

If he left this wound to fester inside of Alphys's chest, it would permanently alter Frisk's relationship with her. And he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if Frisk lost a close friend because of him. If Alphys left, Undyne would distance herself as well. And that would hurt not only Frisk, but Papyrus. Unforgivable.

So he reluctantly tried to explain his complicated feelings, "i trust frisk...but..." He let the sentence trail off unfinished, tilting his head back against the cushions, staring up at the ceiling. "statistically speaking, frisk is gonna RESET. they have yet to not do it. so logic says i shouldn't trust them." He placed a hand over his eye sockets, idly tracing the edge of one with his fingertip.

"but...frisk promised me that they wouldn't do it under any circumstance. they don't need to RESET under normal circumstances. even if killed, they can just load a SAVE." He could think of a couple scenarios, though, where he would accept Frisk RESETTING. "and despite evidence...i want to believe they'll keep their promise. so yeah. i trust the kid."

Neither scientist spoke for a short while as Alphys considered this new information. Sans felt uncomfortable at exposing that information about himself. He doubted that Frisk even knew that he thought about them that way. Or maybe they did. The kid could be perceptive in the strangest moments. He wasn't sure how to feel if Frisk really had assumed that he didn't trust them.

God, their relationship was so fucked up and unbalanced. Sans wondered if there was any way to right it.

"Y-You say you trust them," Alphys said quietly, "but you didn't make a note of it...in your lunchbox." She eyed him, her tone curious rather than accusing, "What if...you had already, um, made a deal with them before? In a, uh, different timeline?"

Sans had considered that. It was unusual for him not to make notes in his lunchbox. It had become a habit that he stuck to very often. It was strange, and realizing that he didn't have any information from "pacifist" timelines just made him work harder at keeping notes. This timeline had its own mini-file inside of the box. But he hadn't written anything about his deal with Frisk. He could see why Alphys would question him.

"maybe i did." He conceded. "but that me probably thought the same about it as i do now."

"What's that?"

"if frisk did go back on their deal...then i don't want any future versions of me to know." He looked at Alphys. He could see his dark eye sockets reflected in her glasses. "Because if Frisk went back on their deal...I would never be able to trust them again. Ever."

Alphys closed her eyes and nodded, looking away. "Understandable." There was a nervous sheen of sweat on her skin. She gave a timid smile to her knees. "S-so I should...try to trust Frisk too. Despite, um, statistics."

"it's all we can do."

"And what about their...memories? What if they kill someone?" She asked sadly. Sans's jaw tightened, Frisk's hatred-filled face flashing through his mind. The image of his brother's dust blowing away and scattered on the snow. Watching Undyne melt with Alphys while the woman screamed in agony at the sight of it. His hands clenched tightly.

"...Then we'll force them to RESET." Sans told her quietly, his voice deadly.

* * *

Frisk was found a number of hours later. The town celebrated to find their ambassador returned safe. Almost everyone went to go see the child and voice their relief to the old King and Queen. Sans did not. Everyone had told him Frisk had been found, but Sans had not confirmed it for himself yet.

Hearing the kid was okay felt like the fist that had clenched around his soul had released. It nearly made his legs shaky with his own relief. Frisk was okay, unhurt, and apparently still of sound mind. But he couldn't bring himself to go look for himself. He was terrified. The very thought of going near them made him sick to his stomach. What if they lashed out at him again? They could kill him. He could vividly remember feeling how high their LV was in that moment when they had attacked him. He didn't want to see Frisk look like that ever again.

But hiding in his house made him wonder about his friends. Papyrus stayed near Frisk often. Toriel and Asgore had made sure that Frisk was with someone most of the time until something was done about Frisk's memories. They couldn't have the child wandering off. And Papyrus could be killed. Sans had looked away one too many times in the past only to turn around and find his brother dusted. He couldn't...he couldn't do it again.

Papyrus had confronted him on why he hadn't gone to see Frisk yet. He was worried about his brother, Sans knew, but he still rejected the thought of being pressured to go see his murderer. He dragged his fingers roughly across his skull, turning away from Papyrus, but Papyrus was having none of it. He pressed more.

"BROTHER, YOU CAN TRUST ME. WE TALKED ABOUT THIS. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL BE HERE FOR ALL OF YOUR NEEDS! AND RIGHT NOW...I THINK YOU NEED ME VERY MUCH!" Papyrus told him.

"i can't, pap..." Sans whispered. Was Frisk hurting someone right now? Were they possessed? Were they just playing the good kid? Monsters could be fooled. Chara could pretend to be human. Chara could pretend to be Frisk. They could all be fooled. And Sans didn't want to confirm his fears. But Frisk could be perfectly normal too, and he was hurting them by staying away. He could still remember what it was like for him when the situations were reversed.

"LISTEN TO ME." Papyrus kneeled in front of the crouched form of his brother and placed his hands on Sans's shoulders. Sans could feel the magic burning in his eye as his magic visually displayed his conflicting emotions. Papyrus smiled gently at him. "NO MATTER WHAT, WE'RE HERE FOR YOU. IF...IF THIS IS TOO MUCH FOR YOU...THEN WE'LL GIVE YOU TIME TO RECOVER! I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS WAS, UH, TRIGGERING FOR YOU." Sans raised an eyebrow at the word. "I LEARNED THAT FROM TUMBLR." His brother explained, making Sans's mouth twitch a little in amusement. "BUT I HONESTLY THINK IT WILL BE HEALTHIER FOR YOU IF YOU GO TO SEE FRISK. JUST TO SHOW YOU THAT THEY'RE OKAY. AND THEN YOU'LL BE LESS WORRIED!"

Sans still didn't want to. But his brother had a point. Sans would sit here constantly worrying unless he confirmed for himself. He didn't like doing anything, but his curiosity was insatiable sometimes. And this was something he couldn't avoid. Because right now Frisk needed him. And he had already failed them once. He had told the kid before that they were all there for the child whenever they needed help...now it was time for him to prove it.

"i'll go over−" He told Papyrus.

"THAT IS A GREAT IDEA! BECAUSE I HAVE−"

"tomorrow."

"ALREADY BROUGHT THEM OVER!" Both brothers froze, staring at the other. Sans felt fear stiffen his vertebrae. He wasn't prepared to actually meet the kid yet. And Chara – _Frisk_ − was in their house right now. Papyrus grinned a little nervously. "I'LL JUST GO GET THEM!" He fled the room. Sans put his skull into his hands, collapsing onto his bed. His brother could really jump the gun sometimes. He was well-meaning, but honestly he wanted to slap his brother upside his thick skull sometimes.

The door opened timidly and Sans lifted his head. Frisk looked smaller than usual, swallowed by his coat. It was strange because they were starting to grow into it some. Now it was like they had shrunk. Their shoulders were a little hunched as they inched their way into the room, eyes darting to Sans before dropping again to the floor. They left the door somewhat open. They didn't come further into the room.

Sans was hyper-aware of how stiff his entire body felt in their presence. Everything about the child radiated guilt and submission, trying not to appear a threat. Was it a trick, though? Were they hiding anything in their hands? Papyrus would've made sure they didn't have a weapon right?

Downstairs he could hear Tori's voice. She wouldn't allow Frisk to have any weapons. Toriel...wouldn't be tricked, right? Had she seen Chara's look before on her child's face? Did she recognize the threat that they held? Nobody was dead, but maybe they were just starting with the weakest first?

The human's LV was low again. Why did it feel high before? Was it possible "ghost LOVE"? They wouldn't do much damage to most monsters. But Sans was still weak. He no longer had just one HP, but his HP was still the lowest of most monsters. One strike, with intent, would dust him. What was he doing in this room with them? He should go downstairs. At least there he would have backup.

A small voice interrupted his panicked planning. "Hi." Their voice sounded fragile to Sans. Their brown eyes wouldn't meet his. Their hands were clenching the front of his jacket that they still wore. He could tell it had been cleaned recently. Above Frisk's socked feet he could see bandages of different sizes all up and down their bare legs. They were hurt.

Sans had already been informed about what had happened to Frisk after he had lost them. They had run up through the forest and had ended up once again falling into the underground. Had they met Flowey again? Had the flower attacked them? The thought made something other than fear burn in his chest: anger. But worry was a whirlwind that swept the spark of fire away.

"hey kiddo." Sans responded. His voice was rough and weak. It startled him. He could faintly hear his bones rattling. Fuck, why was he so afraid? This was...this was Frisk. He was certain. Chara's eyes didn't look like that. Chara had never hidden their lack of care for anybody while travelling through the underground.

Frisk looked _human_ right now.

They didn't respond to his greeting. They shifted in their spot, but neither approached nor fled. Sans couldn't help but think of how they had looked in the lab after his blow-up. How small they had looked then too. He wondered how he looked to them at this moment. Did it seem like their roles were reversed? Somehow it didn't.

"uh...how're you feelin'?" He asked awkwardly.

Frisk lifted their hands hesitantly before signing, _"Okay. But. Guilt."_ They paused and then added, _"I am sorry."_

Sans closed his eyes and took a steadying breath. "i know." He told them. He opened his eyes again and watched them. Frisk was staring at their feet. Sans hated how they looked right then. It wasn't how they should look. It wasn't right. So he fell back into an old routine.

"knock knock."

Frisk looked up in surprise, eyes wide. They didn't respond, though.

"com'on kid. never know who's there if you don't check. knock knock."

"Who...who's there?"

"juno."

Frisk tilted their head. They hadn't heard his one from Sans before. "Juno who?"

Sans grinned a little. "juno that i love you too, right?"

Frisk's head lifted a little, physically restraining a sudden onslaught of emotions. Their eyes glittered with barely-contained tears. Their lower lip trembled. But still they didn't approach. Sans's soul felt shaky, making his bones shiver with the force of it. He spread his arms in offering.

And Frisk threw themselves into his hold, a sob escaping them. Sans flinched at their lunge, but caught them, the both of them toppling backwards onto his bed. They buried their face into his shirt, clutching him so tightly that his ribs creaked in protest. But Sans only tightened his hold on them in response because it was Frisk. They were finally back and in this moment with him now.

He didn't want to let go.


	16. Argument

Sans woke up long before Frisk did. He sat up and stretched, feeling his bones pop back into their proper places and shuddering at the feeling and the sound. He hadn't even realized that he had fallen asleep. He rubbed at his bones, feeling grimy from his nervous sweating earlier. He should probably take a shower. He glanced down at Frisk, who was fast asleep next to him. Their arm was still wrapped around his waist. A part of him cringed at them trapping him there, even though they weren't actually trapping him. He could easily climb away from their lax grip. Still, though, it bothered him.

Hot Cat stretched where she was sleeping between his legs. She shot him a look daring him to move. Sans threw his leg out at her. She hissed and hopped away, puffed up and offended as she padded across the room to exit. Her tail flicked once in dismissal as she disappeared through the ajar door. That's when Sans noticed what had woken him. He could hear raised voices downstairs. And they weren't Papyrus's.

Sans carefully extracted himself from Frisk's hold and maneuvered himself off of the bed. Frisk didn't wake up. They needed the sleep, he could tell. They were clearly exhausted. He walked silently across the room and exited, quietly closing the door behind him in an effort to block out some of the noise. He recognized those voices. He leaned over the second floor railing and saw Toriel and Asgore. Perhaps they were here to pick the kid up? Or maybe they were already here earlier when Sans had unknowingly fallen asleep.

"No, you listen to me Asgore." Toriel said coldly from where she was pacing in front of the kitchen, "You cannot just ask me to...forget all of this!"

"I am not asking you to forget everything!" Asgore looked disgruntled and sad from where he stood in front of the couch. Papyrus was awkwardly sitting on the couch looking rather uncomfortable.

"Then what _are_ you asking me?"

"SANS!" Papyrus cried out when he spotted his brother. There was a tinge of desperation in his voice that called for his help. "YOU'RE AWAKE! HOW ARE YOU? PLEASE TELL US IN A WAY THAT WILL STOP THE FIGHTING."

Sans leaned on the railing, resting his jaw on his hand. He smiled benignly even as a part of him felt a little on edge. Frisk hadn't told him anything, but judging by the looks on Tori and Asgore's faces, they were finally in the know. Great. He wasn't sure he was feeling up for this, but he wasn't about to leave his brother here.

"'m alright. what's all the fuss down here? might wake the kid."

Toriel and Asgore both heard the warning. Toriel turned away from Sans, eyes dark. Asgore stared at Sans. It was strange not to see the old man smiling even a little bit. "Frisk is asleep?" He asked.

"yeah."

"Good. Then perhaps it is time for you to clear up some things." Asgore motioned for him to join them. It wasn't a request. Sans walked down the stairs and stood a decent bit away, but close enough to be part of the group.

Papyrus stood up. "I WILL...GO BAKE SOMETHING MAYBE." He decided, retreating to the kitchen. He shot a quick worried look at Sans, but Sans was aware that Papyrus would help him out if needed. Sans just smiled neutrally back. It's not like he didn't know this was coming. Eventually he would be faced with some pretty horrified characters. He still had yet to face Undyne , and frankly he wasn't looking forward to it. He hated being the buffer for the kid, but it was a role he somewhat brought upon himself. If he really wanted to, he could probably beat around the bush with the Dreemurrs' questions and then just leave before they could really confront him, but that would leave nobody satisfied. Sans didn't know how much Frisk had told them, but he supposed there were some parts missing. Or maybe they just needed an outsider's point of view.

Finally he looked at them. Toriel was first as she straightened, chin rising to look down at him. He could see the fire in her eyes. "How long have you known?" She didn't ask about what he knew. She didn't need to.

"'round the time frisk started wearin' my jacket."

"You." She pointed at him, took a steadying breath, and then said again, "You. You had _promised_ me that you would tell me if something was wrong with my child."

Sans really hated promises. "yeah."

"And you did not tell me."

Sans tucked his hands into his shorts pockets. "which part would you have wanted me to tell you about, tor? the murders? the possession? the power to rewind time itself? you gotta be more specific."

"I wanted you to tell me everything!" She yelled, strained. Sans swallowed.

"there _was_ nothing wrong with the kid." Sans told her. "all that stuff was normal for them. and besides, i didn't make that promise until much later."

"That is no excuse−!"

"it wasn't my place to tell." Sans cut her off. He could tell his sockets were black at the slightly pale look on Toriel's face. She wasn't used to seeing him like this. "it was the kid's sin. it was their job to tell. Not mine."

"But you knew." Asgore spoke from where he was standing silently. "You were aware of all of their transgressions. How?"

Sans glanced at him and continued to stare as he said, "because it was my job, once upon a time, to pay attention to time. and i started noticing time was repeating long before frisk even showed up." He clenched a fist in his pocket. "you know what i'm referrin' to, right?"

"Asriel." Toriel breathed.

"Flowey." Sans corrected sharply. He looked at her, voice hard, "it would probably help if you started thinkin' of them as two different people. cuz that little flower ain't your kid."

"He is still our son." Asgore boomed, voice shaking ever so slightly.

"he may be your son, but he's not the one you know. he's killed all of us countless times for fun. because he was bored. did frisk not tell you that? because that doesn't sound like the little prince everyone supposedly knows."

Both of them fell silent. Toriel turned away, covering her eyes. Sans could spot the minute tremors running through her form. Asgore's jaw was clenched as he stared at a space past Sans. Silence stretched out, not even punctuated by noises in the kitchen. Papyrus didn't seem to be cooking at all. If Sans had to guess, he was probably standing just inside of the kitchen watching everything.

Sans watched the two parents as it sunk in. He didn't know what all Frisk told them, but hopefully it was everything. Because he wasn't about to mince his words. He was too tired. He wanted to go back to sleep and forget this happened. He glanced back up to the door to his room, but it was unchanged other than Hot Cat laying in front of it and staring out at the scene below.

Toriel's voice broke the silence, tiny and accusing as it said, "This would not have happened...if it was not for you Asgore."

Asgore's eyes widened. "What?" He demanded, shocked.

Toriel turned on him, suddenly furious. "This is your fault! You and that...man! Gaster! How dare...how _dare_ you allow what has happened! Our children are not only dead, but you allowed other children to be _experimented_ on?"

Sans's eyes widened in his own shock. He could feel heat radiating from the furious woman. Asgore shook his head. "I did not allow such a thing!" He defended. "I do not...I do not even know Gaster! How can you say−?"

"It never stopped with you, did it?" She laughed bitterly. "It did not matter how many children died, as long as it was a means to an end correct?"

"No−"

"You terrible creature. You cowardly thing!"

"ENOUGH!" Asgore bellowed, and everyone flinched. Never before had Sans heard the king's voice rise. He had always been rather soft-spoken for a king. Now Sans inched away. Asgore's own eyes were blazing as he used his height to tower over all of them. He was no longer hunching like he usually did. He was a mountain of a Boss Monster, and for the first time Sans was actually seeing it. "I have long since understood my own sins, Toriel, but I will _not_ allow you to accuse me of promoting the experimentation of children! Did you think I wanted any of this? I wanted only to help my people! I am a coward, woman, of that I am well aware, but you are one as well!" He pointed a finger angrily at her. "I did what I believed I had to in order to help my people, but you did not even help the children who left your care. You call me a coward? Perhaps you should look at yourself!"

"You dare?" Toriel hissed. "All of those children needlessly died! Help your people? You could not even help a single person! You sought our freedom at the lives of _children_ instead of just sacrificing one life to go to the human world and take the rest! You hid in your castle, among your wretched flowers and adoring people, and waited for innocence to fall into your hands so you and your _scientists"_ she said the word with disgust, "could rip their bodies apart for their souls!"

"What do you think would have happened had I listened to you?" Asgore growled. "A monster escaping the underground to lay waste to humans? It would incite another war!"

Toriel straightened. "At least you would have proven yourself courageous."

"You sin me for the lives of children, but feel no regret if I had murdered other humans?" Asgore shook his great head. "If you had wanted that so badly, then put the blood on your own hands."

"STOP." Papyrus charged out of the kitchen waving his hands. "PLEASE STOP!" Sans cringed to see his brother get between the two furious Boss Monsters. "LET'S NOT FIGHT OVER THIS ANYMORE! IT'S...IT'S IN THE PAST!"

"It is in the past, but the past can do great harm." Toriel fumed quietly, eyes glaring daggers into the king's skin.

"BUT IT IS STILL IN THE PAST." Papyrus stood his ground. "WHAT HAS HAPPENED HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. AND FRISK HAS RELEASED ALL OF US! IT...IT MAY HAVE COST LIVES...BUT FOR NOW WE CAN ONLY BE HAPPY WITH THE END RESULT." He paused and fingered the top of his hip a bit, flicking his thumb across the crest nervously. "IF THERE IS ONE THING I HAVE LEARNED FROM ALL OF THIS...IT'S THAT THE PAST CAN ONLY BE CHANGED SO MUCH. THE END RESULT...THE BEST RESULT...IS LIMITED. AND NOT ALWAYS HAPPY. BUT IT'S THE LIFE WE HAVE NOW. AND RATHER THAN WISHING TO CHANGE IT, WE SHOULD MAKE NOW ALL THE BETTER! RIGHT?" He smiled at them happily. "I MEAN, LOOK AT FRISK! THEY'VE TRIED TO CHANGE THINGS. AND...IT DIDN'T REALLY TURN OUT WELL. THIS IS THE BEST ENDING. AND THEY'RE THE ONES WITH LITERALLY THE POWER TO REWIND TIME! IF THEY CANNOT UNDO IT, THEN WE SHOULDN'T LINGER."

"pap's right." Sans reluctantly spoke up. He could see the anger waning some in the old monsters' forms. "take it from someone who has seen what happens when someone tries to change time. it doesn't work. the past will always hurt...but that doesn't mean things can't try to get better." His grin was strained, he knew. He could hear the screams of the fallen in his mind. Gaster as he was erased from time. The scent of dust on the wind.

He closed his eyes and thought instead about hot dog stacking and Frisk smiling at him while they playfully hid under the covers. The sound of laughter in the distance as school let out. The vision of humans and monsters living together in a community without prejudice. None of this would have happened if Frisk didn't know the negative impacts of their decisions in past timelines. Sometimes, Sans considered, the past needed to hurt to keep the present from making future mistakes.

"'m not sayin' you two need to forgive and forget." Sans opened his eyes and continued, "because hell, i can't even follow that advice. but. it's time to move forward. we've got bigger, more pressing issues. so. if you have any questions that the kid didn't answer, ask 'em now."

The distraction worked. Toriel turned to Papyrus. "You know about all of this as well?"

Papyrus nodded. "I FOUND OUT WHEN GASTER FIRST ATTACKED THE HUMAN."

Toriel took a steadying breath. Her and Asgore's eyes met briefly before looking away. She looked at Sans instead. "Frisk told us that...they have murdered in the past. You know this because you...studied time?"

"sort of. i made notes. kept it in an anti-time box." He had already explained to them while everyone was searching for Frisk all about Gaster and their experiments. That had been difficult enough too.

"May we see them?" Asgore asked.

Sans shrugged and winked. "you wouldn't be able to read them. they're not in a language you know."

"Oh."

Sans closed his eyes. "but...i'll read them to you. just because you're the kid's parents. you should know everything i know." He walked past them towards the front door. He was reluctant to show anyone else the contents of that box, but he'd allow it for them. Papyrus had never wanted to hear the contents, being rather content with just seeing the pictures and his scarf within it. It had been enough. Alphys had gone through everything. How much would Toriel and Asgore be able to hear before their stomachs made them sick? Sans wondered how this would affect the kid's relationships with their parents.

Sans exited the house. Either way, he decided, he would be sure to tell them about Frisk's promise not to RESET. Because he needed them to be on the same page as him. He just hoped that all of this wouldn't hurt Frisk any more than it already had.


	17. I Don't Lake Where This is Going

**A/N: Takes place after "The First Step" in TMFF.**

 **As I was mentioning on tumblr, I really should've just made this whole story part of TMFF, but it's too late now. Now, apparently, Through Hollow Eyes isn't just scenes from TMFF from Sans's POV. Now it's just regular chapters. Lolololohwell**

* * *

Sans wasn't blind, and he certainly wasn't dumb. Yes, there were times he willfully ignored situations in order to preserve the peace or to preserve some part of himself (is it really that wrong for a guy to look out for himself every once in a while?), but in all Sans was a smart guy who noticed quite a bit. Case in point this time being Frisk.

Sans noticed a lot about Frisk. It was practically his job by this point to keep an eye on the kid and to know what they were up to and what they were thinking most of the time. The "job" was somewhat pushed onto him, but frankly Sans wouldn't give it up for anything now. He didn't like the responsibility, but Frisk was pretty good at taking care of themselves most of the time. It helped, of course, that Frisk's support system had finally branched out. Their family was now aware of Frisk's past (although the parents still seemed to be trying to recover from the shock of their old wounds being ripped right open), and most of Frisk's close friends were in the know. The only exception was Undyne.

Knowing this, Sans was well-aware of the fact that Frisk had noticed something was wrong with Alphys. The woman wasn't exactly subtle. He didn't doubt it came from the fact that Alphys wasn't completely used to working around people anymore. She had replaced one horrible secret with another, and she was judging Frisk based on it. Not that Sans could really blame her, of course. He felt the same way some days, wanting to just hate Frisk for everything they had done in past timelines. It was difficult to forgive. Between him and Alphys, the pain was nearly unbearable. Sans was still debating who had it worse in terms of memories.

He was leaning towards himself, but that may be bias.

Sans had watched Frisk and Alphys dance around each other these past few days. Alphys was distracted with her own work, and Frisk had to focus on their life. The kid needed to learn magic as well as try to regain some kind of equilibrium in their extremely fucked up life.

They were outside today with Papyrus and Undyne. Sans sat in the shade on a large tree root with his feet dangling in the lake water. Frisk had been standing in the water nearby him silently, staring at the water and waiting for a fish to bite the line they had thrown out. Papyrus and Undyne were nearby goofing off. Sans kept an eye on them as the two sparred playfully, bones hitting magical spears. Summer was rapidly approaching and the day was hot and becoming humid, so it was good to hang by the lake. Sans could see the sweat clinging to the human's skin like a second layer. Their shirt was starting to soak through from the back. Sans was glad the heat didn't affect him.

Frisk's Soul was outside of their body, floating idly in front of them. They were practicing with their magic in the easiest way possible. Frisk had told them that it felt like an underused muscle, which Sans could understand. He could still recall the days when he had been baby bones and even summoning five bones was tiring. It all seemed like child's play to him now. He didn't doubt that some of the sweat on the kid was also from exertion, despite the fact they had been standing in the same spot for a while now.

Sans leaned forward some on his perch, the bones of his pelvis awkwardly aligning on the tree root until he was in a comfortable position. He closed his eyes. "so." He started. Frisk didn't respond. "talk to alphys yet?" He peeked an eye socket open. He saw Frisk's body tense up some, and then drop in dissatisfaction. Well, there was his answer.

They shook their head silently, affirming what he already knew.

"too bad." Sans told them with a yawn. "must be pretty _bone_ ly without your little dork friend."

Frisk didn't respond still.

"then again...i suppose she's not the only one keeping secrets. so whatever, yeah?"

Frisk looked down a little before turning to really look at Sans. Their eyes were dark and very slightly glossy like they always got when their Soul was out. The little heart floated towards Sans, stopped, and retreated back to the human when their body didn't follow. Frisk's eyes fell more shut so Sans couldn't see their eyes, but he could tell they could still "see" him. Or rather, he knew they could see the manifestation of him. Souls could "see" magic, from what his data had allowed him to gather from other children. Monsters looked completely black and white to human Souls.

"...You...figured it out?" They asked hesitantly.

"not really. but you're not subtle." Sans responded.

Frisk's Soul hovered uncertainly before it retreated back into Frisk's chest. The kid's eyes opened again, and they slouched with fatigue. They trudged back up to the shore with their fishing pole and sat down near Sans, but not nearly as close as they used to. They were still giving him space, apparently. A part of him was bothered by it, but a larger part was still relieved. It was more annoying that he was relieved not to be near his best friend.

They were silent for a few minutes, instead choosing to watch Undyne and Papyrus. At some point the woman had jumped into the far side of the lake and seemed to be coaxing Papyrus to join her. The battle, apparently, was still going. Judging by Papyrus's grin, Sans guessed the playful sparring was starting to turn towards a more serious spar. Bones were spinning around his brother and danced across the ground and water, surrounding the two of them. Undyne's curse could be heard from where Sans was sitting.

Frisk placed the pole aside and sighed, curling up so their knees were to their chest. "...I didn't just...tell my parents about my past...down there." They began quietly. "Other things...also happened. Before I was found."

Sans didn't respond. He chose instead to let them tell him at their own pace. Whatever it was had been bugging the human for a while now. Sans had ignored it up until this point, but it was a matter of time before whatever discovery they had made would come out, so he would rather it be on his own terms.

"I." They stopped, swallowed, and clenched their hands around their pole. "I met...Flowey again."

Sans closed his eyes. He'd had a feeling that was what happened. Were they attacked again by the flower? They hadn't seemed especially injured when they had returned to the surface, but they could've been healed up some by Toriel first.

"He was...nicer." Frisk continued. "But...he didn't want to come to the surface. I think...I don't think he wants people to see him...like that. I...I want..." They stopped and dropped their head to their knees, taking a deep breath before releasing it in a whoosh. "I wanted to bring him with me." They confessed quietly.

Sans had no kind feelings for Flowey. He pitied the creature a bit, but other than that he didn't feel much for him besides scorn. Frisk hadn't been the only one to mess with the timeline, and Flowey was the other worst offender. He had some memories of killing the flower, but he also had memories of being killed by Flowey. It was probably better that Flowey stayed in the underground. The creature didn't have any feelings anyway, so there was no reason to feel sad for him. Still Frisk, with their bleeding heart, wanted to help every monster that they could. He pitied Frisk for that reason too.

He decided to say none of this. Instead he said, "that's rough, kiddo. sorry. next time, try stuffing him in a pot. maybe he'll get over it and really _blossom_ up here."

Frisk turned their head to smile at Sans. Their face was red from the heat, and their eyes were a little dewy. They didn't cry, though. They blinked away the building tears. "I don't want to force him." Their voice was quietly determined. Sans gave up on that battle before it really even started.

"cool."

"But." Frisk's voice was lower now, scared. Sans looked directly at them. Frisk bit their lip and shook their head, clearing it of some thought. "I-I saw...I saw Gaster again." Sans stiffened and his eyes quickly roamed over Frisk's body, checking them. He knew for a fact they didn't have any major injuries (hell, he had _felt_ them for himself when he'd nearly touched their soul), but still he couldn't help but look. Frisk noticed him looking and continued, "He...chased me and Flowey...and talked to us."

"what did he say? exact words." Sans demanded. So Frisk told him what they could remember. Sans didn't understand why Gaster was still calling Frisk 'Chara'. He still didn't know his motives. What did Gaster _want_? "did he attack again?" He asked.

Frisk shook their head hesitantly. "N...no. But...something made him leave. I don't...I don't know what. It was..." They took a breath and turned to Sans quickly. "I think it was Chara!" They stated.

Sans shook his head. "kid, chara is-"

"I know." Frisk cut him off. "I-I know Chara is...that they're dead. But they're not gone. N-not completely." They paused, and Sans felt cold. "Or rather...they weren't gone. I'm not sure if they're around anymore."

"you're not making any sense." Sans said.

"I can't explain it well." They admitted before they told him what had occurred in the underground. They recalled everything being hazy for a bit, and not feeling very in control. And then "waking up" to find Chara right in front of them. None of it made much sense to Sans. From what Frisk made it sound like, Chara was the embodiment of their ghost LV. But that wasn't possible...was it? Frisk didn't like harming others, and they certainly hadn't killed anybody this time around. Chara was the one, from Frisk's account, that did most of the killing (after a while). So was Chara's spirit really invoked by Gaster like Frisk suspected? Sans wasn't even sure how Chara could linger around in the first place.

It didn't make any sense. Sans didn't know what to make of any of this. Judging by Frisk's expression, they weren't sure either. The thought that Chara could still possess Frisk sent a wave of freezing horror through Sans's chest. He could still recall the look of hatred on Frisk's face as they'd lashed out at him. Chara may not be possessing Frisk, but it seemed that they were still not safe from their own memories.

When they'd finished, they continued to stare at Sans. Neither of them spoke. Sans could see the fear in Frisk's eyes, but he was unsure whether it was for him or for themselves. Probably both. He didn't have it in himself to reassure them. He didn't know what any of this meant. Chara, from the sounds of it, had managed to run Gaster off (at least, that's what Frisk claims Flowey told them). Was Gaster scared of Chara? And if so, what did he want from them? Perhaps it wasn't actually Frisk he wanted, but Chara's lingering soul? But why? He had first claimed that he wanted Frisk's body.

His head hurt. He needed time to think this over. Priorities needed to be met to keep Frisk safe, but those were already in the process. He could theorize Gaster's plan all he wanted, but he didn't have enough information. He needed to consider the new facts handed to him, but he felt like they were an empty promise. Just more air to add to this nothingness.

"Sans?" Frisk asked.

Sans grunted. Perhaps it wasn't just Frisk's body, but their soul too? But what would Gaster do with either of those things? Gaster had attacked them, and from what the attack looked like it was going to erase Frisk as well. Which meant that Frisk would end up wherever Gaster was. But Gaster's body was destroyed, or at least torn apart in the process. Proof of that was the matter Sans had found leaking from the twice-damned time machine. And the portion of Frisk's arm that had been attacked had also disappeared.

The difference was, though, that monsters didn't _have_ much matter. Humans were made of the stuff. What would happen to that matter if it was erased like Gaster was? Clearly his soul was somehow lingering in whatever void he was in. What would happen if Frisk was sent there? Would they still have a body? Parts of their body? A shell with which their Soul could cling to? Sans already knew that a human's body needed to be medically dead for their Soul to be claimed. When Gaster said he wanted Frisk's body...was he referring to their matter?

"Sans...are you okay?" Frisk was suddenly close to him. Sans startled slightly out of his thoughts, tucking his hands into his coat pockets. The hand on his arm was timid, but gentle. The kid seemed a little pale. Sans wasn't sure how he looked, but he was making the kid nervous. So he smiled.

"hey pal, do us all a favor and don't have any more adventures alone." He winked. "you seem to get into some crazy stuff by yourself."

Frisk didn't appear totally reassured. Their hand was still gripping his sleeve. Sans reached over and ruffled their hair some. "go get pap, will ya? it's about time we head back. he has a part time job he has to get back to."

That successfully distracted Frisk. They quickly signed to him, _"Job?"_

"didn't he tell ya? he got a job down at the nearby supermarket. the place where he's real friendly with everyone." Frisk nodded happily. They were clearly pleased for their friend. "he's gonna be late on his shift, and you run faster than me."

" _You don't run."_ Frisk denied cheekily before they hurried to their feet. Papyrus was now just chatting with Undyne, at some point dragged into the lake. They seemed to be pulling rocks out of the lake. Frisk ran to go over to them.

Sans allowed his smile to drop.

If Frisk's matter managed to survive the erasing process, their Soul would go along with it without a doubt. Sans didn't want to imagine what Frisk would look like if the erasure destroyed parts of their body. He couldn't imagine the pain. Sans forced the sound of Frisk's scream echoing through his mind away, trying to think clinically.

If Frisk's physical matter survived, their Soul would go along with it. If Gaster's monster Soul survived, a human Soul would doubtlessly survive as well. Which meant Gaster would have a human Soul. The thought was chilling, but with him being anywhere and anywhen, he could acquire a human Soul at any time. Which meant he wasn't just in it for the Soul. He wanted something else. He wanted something with Frisk's matter and their Soul. But what?

The uncertainty made Sans feel more empty than he'd felt in a long time.


	18. A Bad Day

**A/N: Takes place after "Heart to Heart" in TMFF.**

* * *

 _Seeing their face like that sent a chill through Sans's bones immediately. A sense of foreboding came over him. It had been a while since Sans had last seen a human, and this child looked nothing like the others. There was no life in the human's face. Their eyes were as dull and dead as grave dirt. They didn't laugh at Sans's jokes, and they didn't play along with anything. Sans had known children who were too scared to do so, but this kid just didn't want to agree to anything._

 _They didn't say a single word._

 _Sans had asked them to continue pretending to be human for the sake of Papyrus. The child didn't even react to the ballsy accusation. Sans was scared. There was something terrible with this kid. The more Sans saw of them the more he realized what was so wrong._

 _They were covered with dust._

 _He wondered what happened to the woman behind the door._

 _(He didn't have to think about it long.)_

 _There was a part of him, some almost-dead piece of selflessness, that said he should slaughter the child himself and take their soul (did children like this one even have souls?) and stop the relentless genocide . . . but Sans no longer saw the point. He could already feel it in his bones that something like this had already happened before. He had yet to check his notes or his readings, but at this point it would only be for the finer details. He would check them after the child got to Snowdin, that way he was already in town. If anyone could maybe convince the human to change their ways, it was Papyrus._

 _That was his mistake. He would go down into the lab and grab his lunchbox. Inside the box was a note in large letters._

 _ **DON'T LET THE HUMAN NEAR PAPYRUS**_

 _Sans left the lab as quickly as he could. He wasn't fast enough._

 _When he got to the entrance of Waterfall, he could only watch as dust scattered in the breeze caused by the rushing of water. Hidden in the mist was a human, smiling. Their eyes met his._

Sans's eyes snapped open, his fist aching from where he was gripping his sheets. His bones were covered in a fine layer of sweat, and his body rattled some. His magic burned brightly in his eye, disgust and fury coating the inside of his mouth and throat. He wanted to hurt someone. He needed to use this magic somewhere.

He squeezed his eyes shut and took a couple of deep breaths. He knew this place and this room. He wasn't in the Underground any longer. He was in Ebott. His teeth gritted painfully, grinding against each other as he rolled himself out of the bed. He stood up on stiff and shaky legs. His eyes opened to be greeted with a mirror. He recognized now-familiar lines under his eyes. His entire skull looked much more sinister with his dark eye socket and flashing pupil. The fire of his magic was slowly dying down.

Sans glanced back towards his bed, but Frisk wasn't there. Was the human in his house right now? He couldn't remember if Frisk had spent the night. He exited the bedroom, ignoring Hot Cat as she approached him for attention. She scrambled out of the way when she realized he would kick her if she didn't get out of his path.

Papyrus's voice was like a balm to Sans's stiff bones. It helped to relax him marginally, just enough to calm the raging magic and the manic anger boiling over in his chest. His magic felt thick and heavy, and yet hot and angry. Days like these made him feel like someone had drenched him in oil and had lit him on fire. Nothing was comfortable. Almost everything was too much. Life was too much for him. He knew it was a matter of time before his mood vacillated. Fire only burned for so long without fuel.

Sans stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his eyes focused completely on the back of the human's head. He was only semi-aware of the fact he was taking note of what they were wearing and how their mannerisms were. They were familiar, and he understood that this was "Frisk" and not "Chara". This was his friend. Nonetheless he felt physically ill at the proximity of the human to his brother.

 _DON'T LET THE HUMAN NEAR PAPYRUS_

Sans's fist clenched, every part of his body shaking with the effort to hold himself back. This was a different human. His notes didn't tell him which human was which. When Sans had rushed to Papyrus in this timeline, Papyrus had been in the middle of the fight with the human. Sans had watched, waiting for the human to strike, but Frisk had continued to show his brother MERCY. So Sans hadn't attacked them and had even helped them out. He had been confused as to why he had made that note if this human didn't cause any harm.

It was only later on, once Sans had had time to reread more of his notes, that Sans realized that his note to himself was for a very different version of the human child.

"GOOD MORNING BROTHER!" Papyrus called cheerfully, bringing Sans out of his memories. He blinked away the sight of a similar but different kitchen. The memory of a tall sink and old stains was replaced with different colored tiles and the scent of pancakes. Frisk turned in their seat to greet him. He didn't recognize the hand movements they made at first, until his logical mind managed to poke its head through the cloud of emotion and recollections.

Sans tried to force his usual smile. He wasn't sure he had succeeded.

Frisk's face fell, and they seemed to shrink in on themselves. He had failed.

Sans made his way around the breakfast table to go to the fridge. He completely avoided going anywhere near the human. He couldn't turn his back on them. If he let his guard down for a moment, he would be dead. Papyrus moved to go to the table, and Sans jerked around suddenly to keep his brother and the human in his vision at the same time. He was on edge. Every movement the human made caught his eye. He stared at them, his grin stiff but there.

Papyrus still hadn't yet caught onto his "moods" yet. His brother wasn't dumb, but he wasn't able to pick up on clues like that yet. However Frisk was onto Sans right away. They made themselves as nonthreatening as possible, slowly and carefully eating the somewhat-edible pancakes in front of them. They didn't make eye contact with anyone. Sans unwillingly felt a vindictive joy at seeing them so cowed before he berated himself.

It was difficult, though, to fight these feelings. He didn't bother to try unless they screamed at him to hurt Frisk. He would never hurt Frisk . . . no matter how much he wanted to sometimes. They didn't deserve such treatment.

( _Yes they do. They deserve every fucking scratch they get. They should be burning in hell where they belong−!)_

In this timeline they were innocent of their crimes. They were Sans's best friend. He knew this. He _knew_ this!

He hated that he had to assure himself about these kinds of things.

Logically he knew that Frisk was a good kid. They wouldn't hurt anyone if they could help that. But Sans couldn't trust them. What if they suddenly snapped? What if "Chara" was just the name Frisk gave to their more murderous personality? What if Frisk really did have two different personalities? What if Frisk was just lying to him? If they knew that he knew, what would they do? Would they drop the act?

Their meekness was infuriating him.

"ARE YOU GOING TO HAVE ANY?" Papyrus asked, sliding the plate of pancakes towards the empty spot between him and Frisk invitingly.

Sans felt no inclination to join them. He also didn't want to leave them alone.

"nah." He told Papyrus. "i'll catch something at grillbz later."

Liar. He was such a liar. Why did he always have to _fucking lie to Papyrus?!_

( _To protect him. I need to protect him._ )

justgiveupjustgiveupjustgiveup.

" _NOW THAT I KNOW I CAN HELP. I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT I WILL HELP ANY WAY THAT I CAN!"_ Papyrus's voice echoed in Sans's mind.

Papyrus didn't need to be protected.

Sans was so tired suddenly.

" _HEALING HUG, ACTIVATE!"_

Sans ran his hands over his eye sockets. He tried to regain some sense of normalcy. Was this how Frisk felt during the flashbacks? Disconnected? Being flooded and swallowed by their own memories?

Papyrus made a disgusted noise. "MORE GREASE! YOU COULD BE HAVING THE GREAT MASTER CHEF PAPYRUS'S MASTERFUL PANCAKES!"

"i'm sure they're great, bro." Sans agreed. Frisk lifted their hand a little quickly. Sans's head snapped to them, causing them to flinch at the sight of him. He wondered if his eye was glowing. Frisk lowered their head. Sans felt guilt burn like acid along his vertebrae.

Sans left the kitchen then, choosing instead to slouch on the couch. He stared sightlessly at the television. He could still see both Frisk and Papyrus from the angle he was at. He kept an eye socket on them. Papyrus had called for him to try some of the pancakes, but the thought of eating didn't appeal to him. His anger was burning out. The fire was fading, leaving him fatigued. He slumped lower, hanging awkwardly off of the couch. He shifted a bit, but it didn't help him at all. He gave up.

He felt his mood swinging towards the second part of his day. He had come to recognize the signs of his own lethargy. He considered going up to his room, but it seemed so far away. He wanted to be alone, but he couldn't stand the thought of leaving Papyrus alone with Frisk. He had made that mistake so many times. How long would it take for him to finally get it right? When would he be able to save his brother from a cruel death? Did he even want to? Papyrus would only suffer more if Sans saved him. He would probably go after the human. It was better to have both in his line of sight. He just wished that the human would _get away from his brother!_

He could hear Papyrus talking to Frisk about something, but he wasn't sure what. It sounded like a bunch of merciful nonsense. Sans tried to focus his scattered thoughts.

"IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO DO, THEN?" Papyrus was using his "whispering" voice. Were they trying to hide something from him? Was the human using his brother in some dastardly scheme? He pretended he wasn't listening it.

He saw Frisk hesitantly nod.

"I JUST DON'T THINK WE SHOULD BE LIMITED TO THOSE OPTIONS." Papyrus told them. "DOES ANYONE DESERVE TO HAVE SUCH A FATE? I THINK THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER CHOICE. MAYBE ALL WE NEED TO DO IS MAKE FRIENDS WITH HIM! HE'S PROBABLY VERY LONELY WHERE HE IS. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL GLADLY BE HIS FRIEND!"

Frisk didn't respond. They silently finished their pancakes and watched Papyrus. They glanced Sans's way once, but then went back to talking with Papyrus. They signed to him something that Sans couldn't make out from where he was.

"OF COURSE! WE SHOULD AT LEAST ATTEMPT IT. I JUST . . . DON'T BELIEVE MY BROTHER WOULD BE CLOSE TO SOMEONE SO UNREASONABLY CRUEL." Papyrus smiled a little sadly. Sans cringed mentally at the sight, understanding finally who they were referring to.

Frisk took their plate to the sink. Sans's body stiffened up as he lost sight of them, but then they were back again and leaving. They had their bag in hand along with their fire extinguisher. The waved a goodbye to Papyrus, and then hesitantly to Sans. Sans only watched them. They exited the house quickly.

Sans listened to the sound of Papyrus cleaning up. Sans slumped sideways until he was laying on the couch. He felt utterly drained now that Frisk was gone. He should probably go back up to his room. He didn't want Papyrus to fret over him, but Sans didn't quite want to be alone. He dithered in his decision, unmoving. The thought of going up to his room alone with his thoughts once again felt suffocating. The darkness in there was sure to swallow him like the void took Gaster. He would die alone again, just as he had died countless times.

Maybe that would be best. He wished that he could be lost. He could choose how he died. Maybe it would be painless. He could make his physical body fade away. He could allow himself to lose his emotions and just become magic. Then he could fade away. It would be completely painless. He wouldn't have to feel that dreadful knife ripping through his bone and magic and his Soul.

. . . No, that would take too much effort. He couldn't even focus enough to push away his physical boundaries.

Sans rolled over and faced the back of the couch. Besides, he needed to stick around. Gaster was threatening those he cared about.

( _Who cares what happens to that kid? Just another soul taken._ )

If Gaster got Frisk, Sans doubted any good would come from it. The monster was possibly mad. He couldn't let a mad person have the powers that a human Soul came with. It was horrifying to think about.

But what the hell was Sans supposed to do about all of this? He hadn't seen Gaster once. So he made a fucking shield. Big fucking deal! It was pointless anyway. All of it was so pointless. Sans couldn't handle it. There was too much he needed to do. He needed to do research. He needed to check to see if Frisk was okay. He couldn't stand going near the kid. He needed to check on Papyrus. He needed to check the Core. He needed . . . He needed . . .!

"BROTHER?" There was a hand on Sans's arm. Sans could feel himself trembling. His bones were creaking. He jolted at the slightest sound. Papyrus was behind him, but what else was behind him? Was Gaster there at that moment? If Sans turned around, what would he see? He couldn't do this. He didn't want to be here. He felt like he was drowning, but nothing was suffocating him.

The couch dipped near his head. When had Sans curled up? He couldn't remember. He sensed Papyrus's hipbone was right near the crown of his head, but didn't touch him. "DO YOU MIND IF I PUT ON A MOVIE?" His brother asked. "I THINK WE SHOULD WATCH 'NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS' AGAIN."

Sans chuckled shakily. "haven't you s-seen that enough?"

"NOT AT ALL!" Papyrus said. "I'M STILL LEARNING ALL OF THE WORDS TO THE SONGS! I'VE BEEN VERY BUSY WITH MY NEW JOB, AFTER ALL!"

"g-go for it."

The television was turned on and soon enough the overly-familiar opening of "The Nightmare before Christmas" began. Papyrus began to cheerfully sing the verses, and a hand laid on Sans's shoulder. His clavicle was gently rubbed in a soothing steady pattern. Sans focused on the music and on the feeling of his brother, pressing his face into the back of their worn couch. He let the familiarity wrap around him and tried not to fall apart.

For the most part, it worked.

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 **A/N: Unbeta'd. Any mistakes are my own. I'll fix them later!**


	19. The Core

**A/N: Sans's POV of "Waterfall" in TMFF**

 **So sorry I've been late with updating. Between finals and an internet friend coming to stay with me, I haven't had the time nor the motivation to type my next chapter. You can thank my friend for kind of kicking me in the ass to write. I hope this can satisfy the palette for a little while. (Also, sorry if I worried anybody. I got a couple of messages being concerned about my well-being. You guys are silly, but sweet.)**

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Sans learned how to type Wing Ding into his codes a long time ago. His computer –an elderly thing now compared to some of the newer technology they had, but it still worked fine with some tweaking− had two settings depending on which code he typed into his login screen. He was also the only one who knew the button commands to switch to Wing Dings on his computer.

The Core's computer was a much more advanced piece of technology. Gaster had helped build it himself. It was only through the usage of anti-time material within the metal of the Core that kept it from disappearing when he had. It was a lucky break for the monsters of the Underground because the Core was the power source for many, and it still was for those on the surface. Sans was using the Core's power as well for his own computer. He had developed a code that would allow him to scan the area for any disturbances in space . . . however it wasn't very strong or accurate. His computer just wasn't strong enough. He could only manage to search the area around his home, which was not useful in the least. Except, perhaps, for his state of mind. When he had mentioned his problem to Toriel while drinking tea with her (after a steady session of sharing knock-knock jokes), she had suggested the usage of the Core.

" _It is a power source, yes?"_ She had asked. _"Then perhaps it will help?"_

So Sans thought it was worth the risk. It wasn't like it was him that Gaster was targeting. Asgore and Toriel had insisted on joining him, more for the learning experience than anything, it seemed. Their reasoning was that they were "old, but not unwilling nor unable to learn more about technology", so they wanted a short lesson in scanning, he supposed. Or perhaps they just wanted to know how to use the computer for if (or when) Sans added the scanner to one of their home computers.

Sans didn't like going into the Core for many reasons. It hadn't even started when Gaster had attacked Frisk. It started back at the beginning when Gaster had made the Core. Back then it had been for the simple reason of being in Hotland. Back then he had been a bit nervous about going out over open lava when he was new to this part of the Underground, but he had gotten over the small fear later. It was only later when Gaster had been erased did Sans really begin to hate the Core. It was like him: left behind. It was a reminder of his old mentor, and it was one he did not wish to see when the wound was still so raw. So Sans had avoided going into the Core. And then he had started to avoid Alphys for the same reason. And then he had avoided Hotland. In fact, he had not set foot in Hotland again until he was a sentry like Papyrus. By then, of course, he had discovered the shortcuts and used them to avoid places he did not want to see or be seen at.

Even now the Core only reminded him of Gaster, only now it was in the worst kind of way. He didn't want to reenter it, but he forced himself to. He didn't have the luxury of being picky about such things anymore. He could go back to never entering the Core again after the Gaster situation was resolved.

He sat on the floor in front of the Core's main computer, his fingers dancing across the keys of his laptop. He had the two of them hooked together by a cord that Alphys had brought down with her when she had joined them on this expedition. She knew the main system much better than Sans himself did, so she focused more on inputting the opening codes for the Core's computer. Even Sans found it impressive how fast the computer worked and how much information it could display and calculate at once. It finished downloading his program in the span of a few seconds, granting Sans the time to give the basics of how his program worked to Asgore and Toriel, as well as Alphys.

The Core of the Underground was already connected to most parts of the Underground because it was what powered the Underground for the more recent years. It had camera systems that it powered, as well as security systems, and puzzles. Sans's program was able to hack into all of the technology available and send out a small wave that "rippled" the very fabric of space around it. Much like echolocation, he explained, the vibrations would bring up a map of the whole of the Underground. If the vibrations flowed into some type of "hole", then the alerts would appear on Sans's computer. If it was just one of his shortcuts, the vibrations would just flow and disturb other areas, because they were just doorways to another part of space. What Sans was looking for, rather, was where the vibrations disappeared altogether. Or they showed a completely different room that should not be there. He only needed to compare the map that was created with the map of the Underground.

"But what about on the surface?" Asgore asked, his eyes scanning the map as the computer formed it in front of them.

"haven't finished writing the program to form a map of ebott." Sans responded.

"Although the Core is connected to the surface as well?" Toriel asked.

"W-well, those are all new." Alphys explained. "There aren't any, um, cameras or such. It's mostly just . . . powering the town."

"also there's the lack of walls to bounce the vibrations off of." Sans pulled up a graph on his computer, reading the flow of time in front of him. Their timeline in the more recent months was actually still straight. He could see, though, back in December how the timeline abruptly rewound. The line on the graph was thicker there, two layers drawn on top of each other. Sans had grown to dislike the sight of overlapping timelines.

"Is that where Frisk reset?" Alphys's voice was quiet and blank as she pointed a clawed finger at the screen.

"Where?" Toriel asked, leaning down to take a look at the graph on Sans's computer. Sans moved the graph up onto the larger screen so all of them could see it.

"the overlap." He explained. "it shows that frisk only reloaded a SAVE, not RESET. if it was a RESET, the timeline would have completely stopped and restarted again further back on the timeline." He scrolled the graph backwards by about a year. There many different colored lines appeared. Almost all of them had color overlaps indicating a load. It still sent a sick chill through Sans's core to see all of the lines there. Even further back, Sans knew, were even more timelines. Far too many. Ones that he knew were caused by Flowey.

"So many . . ." Asgore breathed, slightly horrified. Sans glanced at them, seeing Toriel's jaw clenched. He returned to scanning the Underground's map that appeared on his screen. So far all he was finding were his shortcuts. The sheer amount of them was disturbing the map itself. That was troublesome. He worked to adjust some of the calculations. Perhaps it would be better if he got rid of the readings quickly.

"What are all of those holes? Please do not tell me those are all Gaster!" Toriel asked, alarmed, as she looked at the map. It seemed that they had decided it would be better not to pay any more attention to the past timelines. Alphys continued to stare at the graph. The screens reflecting on her glasses didn't allow Sans to see what her reaction to the sight was.

"no worries, tori." Sans reassured her, smiling at her a little bit. "those are normal."

"What are they?" She asked again.

"shortcuts." Sans grinned a little at all of their sharp looks. Did none of them consider just how he appeared in other places so quickly? They probably thought that it was just his powers.

"The vibrations aren't powerful enough to reach here?" Alphys asked, pointing to an area within Waterfall. Sans recognized the spot on the map, a little out of the way from any of Alphys's cameras. The signals just couldn't reach it. It was one of the reasons Sans liked that spot.

"guess not."

"The stop is a little sudden . . ." Alphys muttered to herself. It was concerning. Sans tossed up another graph onto the larger screen with the readings in various areas of the Underground, as well as the strength of the vibrations emitting in those areas. He didn't like the ones that had a lack of any electrical output. What if the gaps in his map were actually holes and he was missing it? He already could tell Alphys was thinking the same thing. He wondered if he could somehow increase the energy of the vibrations so as to make them spread farther. It may overload the system, though. The Core was already running the risk of overheating every day, and the monsters couldn't afford Sans knocking out the power. It would probably be better if he personally explored the areas. He wasn't too sure that his friends would appreciate that, though. Papyrus was already worried about Sans.

"Frisk! What are you doing here?" Asgore suddenly called out. Sans blinked once, but didn't look away from the screen. He hadn't even noticed or heard his brother's voice echoing through the Core. He only listened in long enough to hear that Undyne and Frisk were also with Papyrus. Sans frowned down at his laptop. He didn't like the thought of Frisk here, even if Papyrus reassured them all that Frisk would be safe with them. Every time that Frisk came into the Underground, Gaster took advantage and attacked. Sans didn't like the odds of Frisk making it out of the Underground without a confrontation from Gaster. Why did he always attack in the Underground? Was it because it was familiar territory? Or was it somehow easier to manifest in the Underground? Perhaps it was just the fact that it was Gaster's "home".

But maybe they were onto something by suggesting swimming for Frisk. Waterfall was Undyne's territory, and there was hardly any monster stronger than Undyne in the Underground. Frisk would be protected between her and Papyrus. Frisk needed something to take their mind off of recent events, but was swimming in the cold Underground the best idea? Sans wasn't so sure, but perhaps Undyne had some kind of plan. They were all trying to help and protect Frisk in their own ways, so Undyne could do as she wished.

"Not coming?" Frisk asked, quietly concerned. They were probably just as wary of this outing as Sans was. Sans could already tell that Toriel and Asgore disapproved.

"we gotta finish lookin' at things here." He told them. He could feel Frisk staring at him, so he glanced up at them and gave them a smile. They relaxed at the sight of it. Oh, they must still be worried about his Episode. The effects of it were still lingering in his bones, but he had pushed it from his mind at the moment with all that he had been doing today. They had probably been seeking reassurance from him, but not an apology. Sans didn't apologize for his Bad Days. Instead, he reached over and ruffled the kid's hair roughly, making Frisk smile at the onslaught. "have fun, kiddo. we'll come meet you guys after this."

There were nods of agreement before the group left along with Alphys. Toriel and Asgore watched them disappear with unhappy frowns, their eyes tracking their child's movements. "I do not like Frisk being here." Asgore murmured.

"Perhaps I will go with them." Toriel agreed, fretting some. Sans switched to the coding on his program, altering it so that the shortcuts would no longer appear.

"Would it not be better to just stay here?" Asgore wondered aloud.

"And do nothing? Sans seems to have control over the situation." Her tone was a bit more snappish than needed. Sans internally cringed a little, hoping that they would keep their domestics more private. He didn't feel like being in the middle of another one.

"I trust Undyne to protect Frisk." Asgore assured her. "After all, Sans, is there nothing we can do to assist you?"

No, Sans thought, Tori pretty much had it right. Sans didn't particularly need help with any of this now that Alphys already had him into the system. He needed to rewrite a part of his code and he also needed to look a little more into those dark spots, but that wasn't anything that Toriel or Asgore could do.

Instead he said, "the kid's magic is strong enough to defend themselves, ain't it?"

"No." Toriel said in a tone that said she hadn't missed the change in topic. Hell, Sans wasn't going to keep them there if they really wanted to go. He just wasn't about to take any sides. He was well aware of the fact that the old king and queen were still at odds but were trying to maintain civility. He wondered what caused the change of heart, but then decided he would be better off not questioning that kind of thing.

"no?"

"They are still barely able to summon one fireball, and even then it is not hot enough to injure. Which I rather prefer, but it is not effective in case one needs to defend oneself."

"did you consider lettin' me or papyrus start teaching them summoning magic? or undyne? a weapon might be useful."

"I have considered it and suggested it." Asgore agreed. "However, Frisk still needs to grasp the basics of summoning magic before they can consider forming their own weapon. Or, in your case, pulling anything from an alternate space." He paused. "That magic may be far too advanced even for other monsters." He chuckled.

Sans shrugged, exiting out of the timeline map finally. "probably." He admitted. It had been difficult enough for either him or Papyrus to learn.

Even with the power of the Core, it still took a decent amount of time for a map to form properly. He had even managed to hack into Frisk's phone to push the signal a bit farther in the area where their group was located so as to keep track of them. Still, though, that small area off to the side was black. That . . . was not good. Sans stood up sharply.

"take a look at that." He commanded, pointing on the map. "do you know what's there?"

Asgore leaned forward a bit. "Is that not a wall?"

"there's a little path there." Sans denied. "there's a bench there and everything."

"Is that so?" Asgore asked, surprised. "I had not known."

"you need the flowers to make a bridge to get there. something messed with the walkway a while back."

"What does it mean?" Toriel asked, her eyes staring at the void of blackness. Even the walls had some kind of edge to them on the map.

"it means," Sans breathed, "that either is a glitch in my system . . . or frisk and the others are dangerously close to the void." Either way, Frisk was in trouble. Sans turned on his heel, ignoring the cry of the Dreemurrs as they called out to him, and rushed through the nearest shortcut. It easily took him to Snowdin. He didn't falter in his haste as he turned the corner close to where Grillby's used to stand, and entered another shortcut. The snow was replaced with rock and the sound of running water as he exited through the opening not far from his old sentry station within Waterfall. He rapidly approached the area he had last tracked his friends to, dodging around falling rocks and cutting through the large cave grass. He could see the Bridge Seed flowers and could hear Papyrus and Undyne in the nearby room. However his gaze landed instead on Frisk, who was not in fact with them. They were traversing the flowers over to the old wooden walkway leading to the solitary bench. Something about their gait was strange, immediately causing Sans to question the state of Frisk's mind.

"S-Sans!" Alphys gasped, shocked to see him. She had taken notice of Frisk too. Sans glanced at her once, guilt written across her face as her eyes met his, before both of their eyes darted back to Frisk. There was a door near the bench. There had never been a door near the bench. The door opened, and Frisk began to move forward into it. Alphys didn't move, but Sans saw one of her hands dart to her mouth, the other clenching beside her. Sans didn't have time to think about her actions as he rushed forward.

"kid, move!" He shouted, his hand grabbing their wrist and yanking them backwards. Frisk gasped as they collided with his chest, looking at him with wide eyes. Sans jumped back, his magic reaching to wrap around both of their souls to speed up their movement, but the door slammed loudly behind them and his back hit the door. "shit, no!" He spun around, keeping a firm grip on Frisk's shirt. His fist banged against the door once in horrified anger.

"Sans." Frisk's voice was a soft whimper. Sans clenched his eyes shut for a breath. His head was buzzing with static, and the air smelled of ozone. He recognized this feeling from his brief travels through his shortcuts, only now it was lingering and around him. He turned around and opened his eyes. Frisk's hands found his sleeve. Their eyes had yet to leave the other figure in the room.

" **H ello S a ns."**


	20. Old Friends

**A/N: If you haven't read the chapter "Wh At Was Forg Ot Ten" in Time Marches Forward (Finally), I recommend you read it first. This takes place during/after it.**

 **Sorry about yesterday. Goes to show I fail at my promises, lol. Multiple things got in the way including my beta being absent for a number of hours, so unfortunately I couldn't get this chapter out yesterday. However, here it is now! I will ATTEMPT to get the next chapter out Tuesday.**

 **(Why Tuesday? Because the only time I have to write the chapter will be in the evening and my beta can't look at it until the next morning)**

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It was the first time Sans was seeing Gaster since he had been erased, and frankly Sans could've gone without this reunion. The Void (or whatever manifested darkness this hellhole was) was not exactly a bar to meet old friends at. It was clearly not meant to be inhabited by any living thing. Just being here, Sans could feel the darkness putting pressure on his Soul. He felt as if someone had shoved him through a semi-malleable wall and that all the air pockets were being filled in by the Void. What was that toy that Frisk and that monster kid Lansot played with? Play-Doh. Sans felt like he was surrounded on all sides by Play-Doh. It made moving seem like a task, even though actually moving was just as easy as it was in their normal world.

Gaster had seen better days. Sans couldn't tell the monster's body from the darkness around them. It was somewhat intimidating. Was this world much like the one Frisk had described to Sans when they had fought Omega Flowey? Was this the "end of the world"? He doubted it, although some part of his mind was already starting to go insane at the mere thought. Was this the "Save screen"? He honestly hoped that Gaster didn't somehow have access to that place . . . if it even was a place.

His voice was like the static that was charging over and through Sans's skull. It seemed like it was coming from everywhere at once, even though Gaster was physically in front of them. Sans doubted the void echoed, so parts of Gaster must truly be around them. Each word Gaster said seemed unsteady, as if he hadn't spoken properly to another person in so long that his pronunciation was all off. Or it was like Gaster couldn't actually speak properly anymore, fighting against his body to form the words his mind thought of.

There was anger boiling within Sans's bones. Anger and fear were never a good combination, because it made it hard to keep himself under control. He had promised himself he would not have a repeat performance like the one in the lab. If Sans was here by himself perhaps he would allow himself to let go, but Frisk was right here beside him. He couldn't afford to hurt them. He needed to get Frisk away from here as soon as possible. They may not be in the Underground any longer, but Sans still had a promise to uphold to Tori.

He looked over briefly at Frisk. Their face was tight with fear, but despite their shaking hands they were holding steady. They watched Gaster warily, but not with the same kind of betrayed fury that Sans felt. If anything he could see pity in their eyes. Sans turned away back to Gaster.

It was easy to joke with the monster like it was old times. Joking was always easy to fall back on when Sans had nothing else to say. There was so much he wanted to ask of Gaster, but how much would the monster answer? Would he even be able to answer? The world around them would glitch, and Gaster barely seemed able to hold his form steady himself.

Gaster had other plans as he initiated battle. Sans hadn't been in a three way battle in a long time. It reminded him of long ago days where he and Pap would spar with Gaster. He shook his head to clear it. Now was not the time.

Gaster never attacked Sans, though. Every one of his attacks had been aimed at Frisk. Sans's magic flared, his bones spinning faster with his own fury. He couldn't even protect Frisk without the risk of losing his own turn. And Frisk kept choosing to Act rather than to Fight. He understood that Frisk hated violence, but he would've thought by now that Frisk realized that Gaster couldn't be reasoned with. Not really. He was after Frisk's (or, rather, "Chara's". Was there a difference?) Soul. Like many of the other monsters in the Underground, he couldn't just be convinced to stop his plans.

But none of Sans's attacks landed. Either they didn't affect Gaster, or the monster dodged them. And then Gaster would attack Frisk. The kid could move quickly and seemed to know where to dodge in order to help their survival. Sans supposed that practice in the Underground helped. He could only hope that Frisk would continue with their luck. He highly doubted they could just load their last Save point if they died. Not this time. Not in this place.

It made the stakes all the higher.

It was Frisk's turn. Sans hoped that they would try something other than Acting. They had some magic, so they should use it. Fire magic was wild, and if Frisk would just release it then it could easily hit Gaster. But no, they instead chose to try to talk to Gaster again. They ducked their head demurely and asked, "I know I'm not as smart as you . . . so can you please explain why I am so, um, necessary?" Sans glared at the child, seeing through their act. They could recognize that Gaster was full of himself even now. Appealing to his ego wasn't a bad idea, but it was still annoying to see.

Gaster didn't appear too convinced either, but he still gave in. **"Very Well. For Ever I Have Been Trapped Here. My Soul Is Shattered, And My Matter Is Gone, Destroyed By My Erasure. The Only Thing That Has Kept Me Alive Thus Far Is My Own DETERMINATION."** He paused, thinking to himself. His body was becoming unstable again. Was it anger that fueled him? Perhaps Gaster was like Chara in that the more determined he was, the more powerful he was? That was a horrifying thought. **"We Knew About Determination, But Not How Powerful It Was. How Is It That Through Sheer Force Of Will Alone I Can Still Exist? And How Is It That A** _ **Child**_ **Can Do What Science Could Not?"** Sans's theory was tested as Gaster's anger began to increase again. The failure of the time machine infuriated the monster. Sans swallowed. **"Determination Is What I Have, But I Have Not The Power To Direct It. I Can See All Of Time, But I Cannot Interact With It Like I Wish To. Appearances Mean Nothing. Temporary Access To My Cell Exhausts My Magic."** He threw his arms out. " **Which Is Why This Game Must End. So That I May Return To My Work. So That I Will Be Able To Alter The World At My Will!"**

And then Sans finally understood why Frisk's Soul, of all human souls, was the necessary component. The facts and theories that he knew clicked together like puzzle pieces to reveal a terrible picture.

"you can't!" He cried before he could pull back his emotions enough. He could feel the trembles beginning in his fingers, his mind swirling with possibilities. The symbols floating around Gaster changed to words of alarm and confusion. It was all nonsense. "gaster, this is madness. if all of this showed me anything, it's that time isn't something to be messed with. we never should have tried to change anything." The research they had done had only ruined lives rather than helped it. Sans couldn't bear the thought of time being messed with again, let alone by Gaster as he was now. He didn't even trust Frisk to be responsible with their power. Sans Begged, "don't do this."

Gaster was unmoved by Sans's plea. If anything it seemed to upset the monster more. His attacks became harsher, his turn longer as he broke the rules of battle. Frisk cried out for help, and Sans had no choice but to give up his turn to help them. He wrapped his blue magic around their Soul and pulled them towards him. The attacks didn't follow. Why wasn't Gaster attacking him too? Whatever, Frisk was safe as long as they were next to Sans. He hadn't even realized that Gaster had been separating them each attack. Sans gritted his teeth. He needed to focus.

"frisk, buddy," Sans murmured to the human clinging to him. He hoped Gaster couldn't somehow hear them, "i don't think the pacifist route is going to get you out of this one. fire magic is stronger and more durable than my attacks. if he insists on breaking the battle, we can take advantage too." Sans had broken the rules of battle before in past timelines, so he could do it again. He could feel magic building up within him. He would need to summon the blasters. How would Gaster feel, being on the receiving end of an attack he had credit for? It was the only thing Sans could think of. If he summoned enough, the monster couldn't possibly attack.

Frisk still refused to fight. "Please," they cringed some at the static noise invading their head. Sans watched as the void ripped through his arm before it reattached again. He was glad no pain came with the feeling, though it was disturbing to look at. The same thing occurred with the top of Frisk's head, though they didn't seem to notice, "it's not worth it. Changing time . . . only proves to give you the same outcome. Everyone is hurt. I . . . I just want this cycle to end. We're . . . we're going to move forward. No more looking back." Their voice was small despite them raising it to be heard over the static.

Sans gazed at them. He could see the honesty in their face and the desperation with which they believed their own words. Frisk couldn't be lying, then. They honestly didn't want to use their powers anymore. It was a heartwarming feeling that only lasted briefly before Gaster said,

" **Yes, I've Heard Your Little Deal. Time, However, Has Forgotten Me. What Do I Care For Its Desires? No, I Shall Do What I Wish To Do."** The bitterness wafted off of him.

Sans scowled, abruptly furious. This was finally his chance. He wasn't allowing Gaster to destroy Sans's possibility of a happy future. No more RESETs. No more loading SAVE points. No more waking up back in the Underground. His warden had finally granted him his freedom. Enough! It was enough! "I won't let you send me back to my own hell!" He broke the rules of the battle, stealing a turn that he shouldn't have. His blasters formed easily and quickly as his magic burned in his eye socket. The lasers erupted from the blasters dead set on obliterating Gaster once and for all. Sans no longer cared if Gaster was an old friend. He couldn't allow the monster to win. Not this time!

But Gaster dodged his attacks, and the void even caused one to go off course. Sans's jaw hurt with how badly he was clenching it. He could scream right now if he really wanted to.

When the blasters' attack ended, they continued to move around him. Sans's turn was over, leaving Gaster staring at him emotionlessly. Sans panted, drained from the raw emotion. Frisk was watching them both looking like they wanted to grab Sans, but also afraid of being hurt by him. Sans didn't have time to consider their phobia right now.

Gaster's body began to glitch out again. Parts of his body jerked separately from themselves along lines invisible to Sans's sight. **"You Really Have Come To Hate Me That Much."** The monster said. Sans didn't respond. He wasn't sure what he felt for Gaster anymore, but hatred seemed like a damn good word for it. Gaster sighed heavily in that put-upon way that never failed to irritate the hell of out Sans. Gaster always seemed to find Sans below him even when they had been colleagues. **"I Can See There Is Still Much I Must Teach You. I Cannot Do It With That Child With You, So Protective Of The Human Creature That You Are."**

"great idea." Sans's voice was falsely jovial. It always seemed to annoy Gaster when Sans took things as a joke. Sans wished that he could push aside his fury long enough that he could sound happier. All the better to piss him off with. "so let's send frisk here home to their parents and we can have a chat. what'dya say?" He didn't expect it to actually work, but he figured a second shot was worth a try.

" **I Have Used Up Much Power Bringing Them Here. I Cannot Risk Another Chance. No, I Think I Shall Prove My Point To You. You Always Were A Visual Monster. Seeing, I Suppose, Is Believing."** He grinned widely, both eyes popping open. The battle magic was released, returning color to their visions properly. Gaster's Soul was a bright red, burning with Determination as the void responded. Sans didn't have time to jump out of the way as darkness abruptly surrounded him, giving him just a moment to see Frisk's frightened face before Frisk was gone.

Sans spun on the spot. "frisk!" He called out, but the darkness swallowed up his voice. Gaster was suddenly there across from Sans. Sans jumped back, summoning his bones automatically. Gaster only appeared to be a little amused, his mouth quirking a bit before it returned to its normal self. "what did you do with them?" Sans demanded.

" **Nothing. They Are Where We Last Saw Them. It Is Us Who Have Moved."** Gaster responded. He looked around him entirely too at ease with someone who was two words away from attacking him. Gaster moved slowly towards his right, gazing around at nothingness. **"Your Attacks Are Stronger, Although I Suppose They Must With How Many Times You Have Fought Chara."**

"wrong sans." Sans told him. "i never fought the kid."

Gaster waved his hand. It disconnected entirely from his form and floated off a distance before it abruptly popped back onto his wrist again. Wing Dings letters began to appear around Gaster as he spoke, spelling out what he was already saying. **"I Suppose One Wou Ld Th I Nk Tha T Way When They Cannot See All."** His language switched back and forth to Wing Dings midsentence. Sans had to wonder if he was doing it on purpose. **"H Owe Ver I Have Seen All Ve R Sions O F You And I Know Th At You Are All The Same."**

He waved his arm and the void opened up. It was like when Frisk was being erased all over again. The world around them kept jumping. Sometimes Sans saw himself in the Underground, and other times he looked nothing like himself. He was dressed in armor, but acting like Papyrus. He was crying over the body of a human with flowers growing out of their skull. He was underwater. He was in space. He was human. He had white hair. He had dark hair. Light skin. Dark skin. Tall. Short. Happy. Angry. Sad. Laughing. Drinking. Running. Fighting.

Fighting Chara.

Fighting Chara.

Fighting Chara.

 _"-burning in hell."_

 _"-burning in hell."_

 _"-children like you should be-"_

"stop!" Sans dropped to his knees, trying to block out the noise. Images were flashing endlessly through his head. He could feel the pain in his chest as he was slashed over and over again. Voices overlapped each other. Words repeated thousands of times. Even when he closed his eyes he could still see Frisk's smiling face rapidly switching back and forth between their face and Chara's empty smiling face. "stop it!" He called again as the face began to switch so swiftly that they no longer looked any different. The same was done with every person he knew. All of them were the same. They were all the same. Every course of action. Their deaths. Their agonized cries as they turned to dust. It was too much.

"Gaster!" Sans screamed, and abruptly all of the noise stopped. Gaster stood in front of Sans, as solid as he's ever seen him. Sans looked up at him, and Gaster kneeled before him. Sans's entire body was shaking. He could still hear the voices, but it was fading into static. Static on all sides. It was background noise. It contained everything he knew. His mind kept trying to focus on one, but it couldn't. Gaster's thumbs wiped away the tears on Sans's cheeks that he hadn't noticed. Sans realized that he felt completely raw inside. Had he been screaming?

" **Do You See Now?"** Gaster asked quietly. **"What You Have Seen Is My Life. When I Am In The Void . . . When My Power Runs Out . . . That Is What I Experience."**

Sans couldn't bear the thought of being in such a place. He had thought where Gaster existed was like this place, but maybe this room or void they were in was constructed by Gaster as a haven away from what he was used to. Sans felt sick.

" **It Is Why You Must Help Me. You Have Already Tried For So Long**." Gaster slowly pulled his hands away from Sans's face and stood. He held his hand out for Sans to take. Sans squeezed his eyes shut to get the images out of his head before he took the offered hand and stood on shaky legs. **"To Escape This Hell, I Need Chara's Soul."**

Sans put his skull in his hands. It was throbbing like mad. The screams and the static were still in his mind. He wanted to pound his skull against a wall in hopes of dislodging them. It was tempting. "y . . . you can't. the kid . . . has the power to alter time. you can't . . . you can't alter time." Sans tried to steady himself more. "besides," he added, "you don't have a body."

" **I Have Thought Of That**." Gaster assured him. His voice was soft and kind like the Gaster Sans used to know a long time ago. **"It Will Not Take Much. I Will Destroy Chara's Body And Take Their Matter As My Own. And With The Power Of Their Soul, And The Flesh Of Their Body, I Shall Become 'Real' Again. I, And All Of The Monsters Erased With Me, Shall Exist Again."**

 _insane._ Sans thought. _that's insane._ So why did it sound so logical to him? Gaster just wanted to escape. What was one child to this brilliant monster? They could use someone like him again. Sans could still remember all of the brilliant things he had done. The other monsters didn't remember, but Sans and Alphys did. Sans would get to see his old friends again. He would be able to return to his experiments in a lab. He could have a proper job. What was one human child for handfuls of monsters?

 _no. no, this is frisk. can't let them die._ If they die, they'll RESET. No . . . their Soul would be Gaster's. They can't RESET. He would control them. But he would lose Frisk.

Frisk and Chara's smiling overlapped faces flashed into his mind. Sans gritted his teeth and shook his head. Chara deserved their death. Gaster was right. Gaster was always right.

"so you use your new body and soul . . . and alter time? time travel?" Sans asked.

Gaster smiled. It was the smile he granted Sans whenever he thought Sans was being particularly smart. **"Yes. I Can Go Back And Stop Monsters From Being Trapped At All. Or Perhaps Destroy Chara Before They Can Kill Our Prince. The Possibilities Are Endless."**

Some part of Sans gave a concerned thought for the balance of cause and effect to the time stream. Hadn't he and Gaster discussed such a thing before? Wouldn't going back on the timeline just alter the ending?

" _Please it's not worth it. Changing time . . . only proves to give you the same outcome. Everyone is hurt. I . . . I just want this cycle to end. We're . . . we're going to move forward. No more looking back."_

Frisk would know. But Frisk can't tell him if they're dead.

The screams of human children rang through his skull, eventually overpowered by Frisk's agonized scream. Would that happen to them again?

Sans took a shaky breath. "no." He told Gaster. The scientist reeled back a little, surprised.

" **No?"** He asked.

"leave frisk alone."

" **You Would Protect The Child Who Has Destroyed Our Kind So Many Times**?" He asked it softly, his voice filled with betrayed disbelief.

"i protect the child who is trying to redeem themselves and help our kind." Sans corrected. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged. His bones began to dance around him again, steadier this time. "frisk has done a lot of bad shit, but so have i. and they're at least trying to make up for what they've done. and y'know, for the most part they've done alright. i think they deserve a shot at happiness."

" **So You Would Leave Me Here To Suffer?"** Gaster demanded.

"no." Sans shook his head.

" **Chara's Soul Is What I Need. What** _ **We**_ **Need. How Many Times Must I−"**

"Listen." Sans grinned, fed up. "pal. what i'm tryin' to say is . . . **Leave my kid alone**."

Gaster's form exploded, swirling around Sans black-on-black. Sans brought his bones up close to his body, covering them with light blue magic so as to not allow Gaster read him. The monster's magic swirled around him, but then abruptly broke away. Sans could no longer see him. He looked around for any signs of the scientist, but was greeted with endless darkness.

" **F In E Th En."** Gaster's voice hissed from all around. **"I Do No T Nee D Yo Ur Hel P!"**

Somewhere Sans heard someone scream his name.


	21. Goodbye

**A/N: This is the end of the Gaster arc. If for whatever reason you are reading this and have not read what happened in the the chapter "Boss Battle" in TMFF . . . my dude, what are you doing here? Go read that first!**

 **If you're here for the ending, here we are! This is NOT the end of DotPP yet. I still have a couple chapters left for both this one and TMFF, however the end is nigh.**

 **Song Recommendations:**

 **For the battle: SharaX - Megalotrousle o** **r SharaX - Dark, Darker, Yet Darker**

 **Also if you really wanna get a kick in the metaphorical kidney, listen to "His Theme Slow Version"**

* * *

Sans recognized the voice calling his name. He wasn't sure he could raise his voice loud enough to respond though. He wasn't even positive that the person calling his name was even physically present, or if Sans was just imagining it. The static was still resounding in his head, calling him to get lost in stories he didn't have privy to. He didn't want to know everything. The very thought of it was driving him mad. He tried to focus on the present, but even now the void . . . or whatever Gaster had shown him . . . the time stream . . . it was too much for someone who was sane to bear.

There it was again. His name was called again. He shook his head to dispel the nasty thoughts and stood up on shaky legs. He hadn't even realized he had fallen. How long had he been standing there? How long had it been since Gaster had gone? No, he had just left right? Sans needed to hurry. He needed to find the kid. He had no idea where to look.

"BROTHER!" Sans lifted his head as arms circled his neck. He blinked, recognizing the feeling of bones pressing against his. He turned his head just slightly as Papyrus pulled back, his wide smile a bright beacon in all of this darkness. Sans almost felt his soul lightening, when Papyrus's face began to change at a rapid pace. There were red eyes and sharp features. There was a relaxed grin and a darkness Sans recognized viscerally on Papyrus's face. There were glitches on him. There was blood. But there was never sadness. Sans cringed and dropped his skull into his hands. Was he going mad?

"SANS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked. His voice was echoing. Sans couldn't worry his brother. Get it together.

Sans lifted his head and grinned despite the violent pounding of his skull. He pushed the sound of the static away and tried to focus on what was in front of him. The pain made his vision swim slightly. What had happened to his strength from just earlier with Gaster?

"hey pap. how'd you get here?" Sans asked through a slightly-clenched jaw. He wiped at the sweat on his forehead.

"WE CAME TO FIND YOU!" Sans could tell he hadn't fooled his brother. Sans wasn't willing to give up on his act yet, though.

"We should hurry!" Alphys panted. She was slightly hunched over, no doubt from running. Sans could see her face and body were switching too. Sometimes she wore armor and had scars. Other times she was human with blonde hair and chubby features. Sometimes she wasn't even a lizard, but some kind of armadillo or something. Sans tried not to be distracted by the flipping features.

"RIGHT!" Papyrus agreed. "WE SHOULD GET BACK TO THEIR MAJESTIES AND UNDYNE AND FRISK!"

"frisk?" Sans asked. He grabbed Papyrus's arm to steady himself. He wasn't so sure he wasn't going to pass out. He hated this feeling. He felt fine, but his mind felt sick. He hoped this wouldn't be a permanent thing. "you found the kid?"

"They were all alone." Alphys gently grabbed Sans's other arm to help him. Her hands were still shaking slightly. Or was that Sans? He thought he could hear bones rattling, but he wasn't sure. "We l-left them with everyone else."

"good." Sans muttered. "yeah, great." Frisk wasn't unprotected at least. He rubbed at his eye sockets and tried to ignore his brother's gaze. "but we got big problems."

"DID HE HURT YOU?" Papyrus asked instead. His hands patted somewhat at Sans, searching heartily for any injury. Sans let him.

"no. he just . . ." The darkness swirled, as if something had changed nearby. Sans thought he heard Tori yell.

"Th-That was Toriel!" Alphys gasped. So he hadn't imagined it.

"gaster left me here, but he's goin' after the kid. sounds like he's already there."

"WE SHOULD GET BACK QUICKLY!" Papyrus decided. He grabbed Sans's shoulders. "OBVIOUSLY YOU CAN'T RUN, SO I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL CARRY YOU TO SAFETY!" It wouldn't be the first, nor the last, time that Papyrus had ever carried Sans, but Sans wasn't so sure he could handle movement at all. He was barely on his feet, but he needed to fight.

He temporarily turned himself away from his awesome brother to address Alphys. "listen. gaster is completely mad. he wants to use frisk's soul to go back further into the time stream and change key components of the timeline."

"B-But he doesn't have a body! He can't−"

"frisk has all the components he needs." Alphys's pupils shrunk in understanding. Sans could see her rapidly putting together the pieces of the puzzle.

"H-He'll completely alter the timeline." She whimpered. "He could-could make this timeline completely unstable! We don't know the consequences of this! There are too many variables! We don't even know properly how the time stream works! Frisk has been lucky in keeping the timeline relatively normal but the possibilities of what could happen to this world are-are-are _endless_! This is _mad_!"

"yeah, i know."

Papyrus scratched his head a little, trying to completely comprehend the gravity of the situation. "BUT FRISK'S POWER COMES FROM DETERMINATION, RIGHT? AND DR. GASTER IS PUMPED FULL OF IT . . . WHY CAN'T HE JUST GO BACK NOW?"

"dunno." Sans muttered. "that's a good question."

"B-Because," Alphys spoke up, her voice steady with solemn confidence, "a monster doesn't have enough magic in their soul to perform magic that powerful. Determination doesn't increase your magic . . . it just makes a person's will stronger." She paused, clearly uncomfortable with continuing, but she confessed softly while wringing her hands, "Frisk . . . and Flowey . . . could perform the magic because . . . um . . . they were determined to do so. F-Frisk unconsciously tapped into their magic to RESET and . . . yeah. And Flowey still had . . . some of-of Chara's . . . magic in them even after . . ." She stopped.

Papyrus hesitated before saying, "I DIDN'T KNOW FRISK TOLD YOU ABOUT THEIR POWER."

Alphys smiled nervously and laughed. "U-Um . . ."

"papyrus," Sans rescued Alphys from having to explain. They didn't have time for anymore of this. In the distance he could see what he was certain was fire, "i'm not good right now. gaster . . ." Sans cut himself off, unable to explain that he wasn't too sure his mind was stable right now.

"WE'RE NOT LEAVING YOU HERE!" Papyrus said before Sans could even suggest it.

"i'm not even sure i can handle being carried."

Papyrus folded his arms across his chest, thinking, before an idea lit up his face. "THEN! WE! SHALL! BECOME SYRUS!"

Sans stared at his brother. ". . . i'm not sure that's a good idea, bro."

"NO! I'M POSITIVE IT IS!"

"what logic did you get from that?" Sans asked, honestly curious.

"YOU NEED SUPPORT, BUT YOU CAN'T TRAVEL ON YOUR OWN. SO I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, SHALL SUPPORT YOU!" Papyrus appeared proud of his conclusion. Sans loved his brother.

"i don't want what's happening to me to affect you."

"NO WORRIES! I CAN HANDLE ANYTHING!"

"i'm sure you can, but you don't get it bro−"

"I'M GLAD WE AGREE I CAN HANDLE ANYTHING! NOW THEN, LET'S HURRY! I'M SURE THEY'LL NEED OUR HELP!" Papyrus was already starting to dissolve himself. Sans sometimes wished that Papyrus would just actually listen to him sometimes. Nonetheless, he wouldn't do his brother the disservice of rejecting him. Besides, Sans needed some time away from his own self. Maybe being Syrus really would help.

It was easier now to fuse than it had been when they had first introduced Syrus to Frisk and Undyne. This wasn't the first time that Papyrus had suggested that fusion would be the best option (though of course these circumstances were completely unpredicted). Syrus was a powerful form of the two of them. He had the combined strength of both of their magic, but Syrus also had skills that the brothers did not have separately. He had Sans's dodging, but Papyrus's accuracy and stamina. On a more personal side, Syrus would not be completely distracted by Sans's emotions for Gaster, and so he would not be as judgmental about the monster.

Fusion did much to restore Sans's state of mind, but he could tell it was affecting Syrus. Their body wobbled, disoriented by the static in their head. Papyrus's worry was there along with Sans's annoyance. Hopefully it wouldn't affect them too much. He tried to reassure Papyrus, but Papyrus was already focused on the next thing. Syrus took the time to pat himself down and shake his head as if to clear it. The static was bothersome, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. Sans was once again grateful for Papyrus's ability to bounce back from anything. Truly there was nothing that his brother couldn't handle.

"Amazing . . .!" Alphys breathed, catching their attention. Syrus grinned widely.

"Nice to meet you!" He called, ecstatic. "But no time to talk! We should get going!" Sans was starting to feel the pressure of time on them. How long had they all spent dawdling? The void was beginning to shake. Syrus didn't give Alphys the option as he scooped her up and started running towards where Sans had last seen fire. Alphys gave a small screech.

The void was splitting. Cracks were forming all over the place. Syrus had to jump over a few of them. The static called to Sans, confusing Syrus somewhat. Papyrus's worry for Sans increased, but Syrus shook his head. "i'm fine." He told his brother under his breath. Syrus kept moving, dodging around cracks. Figures appeared in the distance, as well as a distortion Sans recognized.

"FRISK!" Undyne, Toriel, and Asgore screamed, horrified at the scene in front of them. The kid was practically trapped on an island, surrounded on all sides by a sea of static, and a wall of Gaster coming straight at them.

"One side!" Syrus called, clearing his way without stopping for his friends. They didn't have much time and he certainly couldn't bring them with him. He wrapped his blue magic around his soul and Alphys's as Undyne gave a baffled cry of their names. Syrus leaped.

"WHOA!" Alphys yelped.

The landing shook Sans up more than it really should have. His mind spun while looking at Gaster, so Syrus took the time to place Alphys down before standing. Papyrus's emotions practically vibrated with excitement at the thought of fighting an enemy, but Sans kept him grounded. This wasn't someone they could fight well against. The monster was towering over them now, more liquid than solid. Images flickered through their shared mind, but Gaster didn't appear to have as many "forms".

"Sorry to _drop_ in like that!" Syrus was unaffected by Sans's troubles, taking his own confusion in stride. Sans couldn't help the amusement he felt, pushing Syrus to add, "I know you're ec _static_ to see me!"

Syrus paused then. "UGH!" Papyrus cried. "I CAN'T BELIEVE WE JUST SAID THAT! SANS!"

There was a nervous giggle behind them. Syrus recognized Frisk's terrified voice. Even when scared, they couldn't help but laugh at his jokes. Knowing that he was between Frisk and Gaster sobered Syrus up. Papyrus and Sans's protective selves began to take over, assessing the situation. They were all separate from the help of Undyne and the Dreemurrs. The moat of static was too thick. Even fire magic would have some trouble getting over here. Syrus would have to travel back to that side in order to use his own magic to bring them over. That left him, Alphys, and Frisk to fight. However, neither Frisk nor Alphys were fighters. He was the first line of defense.

Confidence poured through Syrus's system as Papyrus stepped up to the plate. Sans allowed his brother to take the reins, deciding instead to play second fiddle. Syrus was certain he would be able to win and protect Frisk in the process. Sans could tell his brother was still against killing Gaster, which, at the moment, was perfectly fine. Sans supposed that weakening Gaster would be the best choice. Syrus's magic flared to life, bones coated with magic summoned with an ease that Sans could be jealous of if he wanted to be.

" **A H.** " Gaster form trembled before he shrank back into himself. Still, he was not very solid. Syrus could sense that Gaster was tired. It was easy to see by the state of the monster. He could barely maintain any type of shape. Fighting with Undyne and the Dreemurrs must have been too much. Syrus was a little disappointed, but also pleased with the turn of events. " **P Ans. I Have N Ot Seen You In A Lo Ng Time**."

Syrus was confused. "Who is that?" He asked.

"that was us." Sans responded. "you don't remember, pap."

"OH. THAT'S A STUPID NAME!"

"that's why we changed it."

"That's a stupid name!" Syrus repeated as if he hadn't literally been talking to himself. "My name is Syrus now!"

" **Have You Also Co Me To Sto P Me?** " Gaster demanded. Again he was rapidly switching back and forth from Wing Dings. It took slightly longer for Syrus to process what the monster was saying in comparison to how long it took Sans to mentally translate. Papyrus seemed surprised he could understand it at all.

"Well you see," Syrus grinned, and his bones spun faster. Sans's anger was becoming forefront. "I thought I warned you to _stay away from my kid._ So it looks like I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson about messing with the people I care about!"

Papyrus tried to sooth Sans's feelings, sending reassuring and calming waves at his brother, but Sans couldn't allow them to calm him. Right now Sans could barely focus on anything because of what Gaster had shown him. He's been after Frisk for so long, and now the time line was once again at risk of being destroyed. Sans was _so_ _tired_ of time. He was so exhausted about the threat to just fucking _living_ in a linear pattern. He would not allow for this anymore.

Syrus didn't hesitate. The bones ripped through the ground at Gaster, flying at him from all directions. Gaster moved to dodge, but Syrus wasn't playing by the rules anymore. He jumped to intercept Gaster's dodge, a large femur coated in light blue magic in both hands. He swung at the monster, swiping Gaster once before the monster exploded and reformed on the far side of the island. Syrus threw his hands up. The island trembled violently before bones erupted everywhere on the far side of the island. Gaster hissed and disappeared again.

A rip opened up in the ground underneath of Syrus. Scenes flashed through it, voices clamoring over each other to be heard resounding from its depths. Sans's first visceral reaction was _DON'T LET PAPYRUS SEE_ and Syrus reacted to it. He jerked and flipped backwards, landing next to Frisk and Alphys. The older woman was holding onto Frisk, keeping them well away from the edge of the island. Syrus knew better than to turn on the enemy, but he didn't have a choice. He knelt swiftly and scooped both the kid and the woman up before he wrapped blue magic around himself and jumped. A wave of static barely missed, but Gaster wasn't done. In midair Syrus wasn't able to maneuver as easily and Gaster knew it. The monster threw out his hands, sending out six of them which rapidly changed size and shape. They kept signing familiar words as they trembled and expanded to twice the size of Syrus.

Syrus couldn't defend himself with his arms full. He hurried to alter the gravity around himself so they could fall faster, but Gaster's attack was swift. Frisk and Alphys weren't willing to be bystanders. Alphys began to shoot lightning and yellow magic bolts at the hands hoping to either destroy or throw them off. Frisk wiggled their phone out and pressed the button to trigger yellow magic upon their own Soul and joined in on the fight. Pride and gratefulness at their actions filled Syrus.

The attacks did manage to blow holes within the hands, enough so that Syrus could tuck and roll them through, dodging the static so they could land on the ground. Syrus abandoned them there to defend themselves and charged at Gaster. Four blasters were nothing for Syrus as he charged them up and fired them. Gaster reacted, flattening himself more to the ground to dodge their beams before he rolled out of the way. Twin blasters of his own appeared, shocking Papyrus. Sans cringed a little at the sight of the melting blasters. They looked like they were scarcely holding themselves together. One of them even began to crack down the middle, exposing a core that glitched out.

Gaster's blasters fired, but Syrus countered them with two more of his own. The blasters were matched, so Syrus ducked under the fire to throw another wave of bones. They crashed into Gaster, but the monster seemed to have only taken a little damage. Syrus rolled backwards to avoid the large letters that formed and slammed to the ground around him. He grunted a little bit in pain as one struck his side and quickly got back to his feet. It felt like he was poisoned. He could sense his own health depleting. Sans was grateful for Papyrus's fairly strong defense.

" **I Had Wanted To Avoid Killing You**." Gaster said, his form solidifying slightly even as his lower body seemed to become part of the void. More cracks were appearing. Syrus only had time to briefly glance over towards Frisk and Alphys to see them holding their own. Alphys seemed to be playing offense while Frisk took up the role of defense. However Gaster wasn't focused on them. The two had time to actually watch Syrus's battle. " **But You Are Pushing Me.** "

"Actually," Syrus joked, "I would say I'm _bone_ doggling with you."

Gaster twitched violently, his head appearing to disconnect before it reattached again. The void sliced through the ground, shifting the whole island sideways momentarily before it righted itself. Alphys cried out as Frisk caught her and pulled her back further onto the island. Syrus steadied himself.

"Don't be like that." Syrus said.

" **You Are Testing Me, Sans**." Gaster warned. Sans still didn't understand why Gaster was not trying to kill him. Did the monster still consider him a friend? That was hilarious.

"Oh, you're not having a _blast_?" Syrus surrounded Gaster with blasters and launched them at once. The monster tried to dodge, but Syrus grabbed him by the fragments of his pathetic soul and wrapped blue magic around him, throwing him directly into the line of fire. Gaster came close to being killed when he used his own magic to counter Syrus's blue magic. Gravity slammed him to the ground right before he touched the lasers.

Papyrus reaction startled Sans as horror at what Sans was doing nearly ripped apart their fusion. Syrus stumbled, hands clutching his own shoulders in an effort to keep himself together. He couldn't reach his own magic.

"pap." Sans gritted out, trying to ignore his blurred vision. The fusion wasn't holding well.

"SANS, STOP. I DON'T WANT TO KILL HIM."

"we have to." Sans said. "to protect everyone. we can't pity him."

" **Figh Ting W Ith Yourse Lf?** " Gaster hissed, amused as he climbed back up to stand. His body was shaking violently, as if it took all of his effort to maintain the form. There were more cracks throughout the void. It was too loud and bright. Sans hoped that nobody was looking into the cracks. It would drive them insane. His head was still throbbing from it.

"This needs to stop!" Syrus cried, the only agreement the brothers could come to. However, Papyrus's will was stronger and followed more along Syrus's morals. Syrus wouldn't attack anymore if Gaster didn't. Sans was left frustrated. The fusion was only being held together by Sans's forced cooperation. "We can come to an agreement. Your plan will fail, Gaster. There are too many holes!"

" **You Know NOT HING A Bo Ut Science, Papyrus. You Wo Uld Not Unde Rsta Nd. You Never Have**." Gaster responded, dismissing Syrus's pity.

"B-B-But, _I_ do!" Alphys cried. Syrus and Gaster both turned to her as Frisk and Alphys joined Syrus's side. For the most part they were unharmed, but they were clearly exhausted and shaken up. Frisk kept shaking their head as if to clear it. Syrus feared that Frisk had seen the void as well. He wrapped an arm around their shoulder, bringing them closer to his side to comfort them. The need to protect Frisk helped to solidify the brothers's resolves, and Syrus's fusion became steady again.

" **Alphys**." Gaster greeted, his voice cool but interested. Even the words sounded broken, as if he was talking from various distances. Papyrus didn't like this at all, unnerved by the destruction of the realm they were in. Sans wasn't sure how he was feeling anymore. Together they left Syrus feeling uncomfortable but assessing the situation.

"T-This thing . . . what you're planning . . . it's madness!" Alphys was shaking, clearly terrified by holding herself together well. Sans was sure that the sight of Gaster in such a state was just as terrible for her to witness as it was for him. Frisk gripped Syrus's shirt tightly in their fist, but kept their shield at ready. "It won't work!"

" **And Who Are You To Say?** " Gaster asked.

Alphys straightened with tremulous courage. "Because I was the one who continued your research into Determination."

Gaster paused, and the darkness that made up him flashed with a couple of scenes that were too quick to decipher. " **. . . I Suppose You Have.** " He conceded, somewhat reluctantly.

Alphys brought her hand to her face to bit her nail, but instead scratched at her cheek. "Doctor, please. J-Just . . . don't do this."

Gaster scowled a little. " **You Understand That I Can Do This. I Cannot Stay Here Any Longer. I Will Go M A D**."

"Too late for that." Syrus said, unable to control that impulsiveness.

"SANS!" Papyrus scolded.

"that was both of us." Sans responded. Sans's words, but definitely Papyrus's lack of filter.

"OH."

Frisk yanked on Syrus's shirt to get his attention and quickly signed, _"You are not helping!"_ Syrus quickly signed back an apology.

Gaster wilted, his form melting to look like he was a hunched over old man. The only things visible on him were his white head, shirt, and the white buttons of his coat. Even his hands had molded back into the gelatinous form. " **Mad . . . Yes. Perhaps I Am Mad**." He muttered to himself. He turned back to Alphys. " **You Know, Do You Not, Of Chara's Sins? Yet You Would Help Them? I Have Seen Your Doubt. Your Fears. My Hypothesis Is Just As Sound As It Is Mad**." He smiled then, as if telling an old joke. " **Just Like Most Of My Ideas, Am I Wrong?** "

Syrus felt sorrow burning in his chest. Pity and melancholy nostalgia thickened his throat. He swallowed against Sans's unwilling emotions.

Alphys glanced at Frisk. The kid didn't react to Gaster's accusation, instead only watching Alphys as well with a neutral face. Alphys glanced down at her feet, and then at Gaster before nodding. "Y-Yes."

" **Then Why? After They Have Destroyed Everything You Hold Dear Countless Times?** " Gaster sounded honestly curious. Syrus wondered if Gaster really just couldn't comprehend caring about someone that much. Had the void he existed in really wiped away his conscience? Syrus didn't even want to consider it. He was certain the monster was confused. He was a mad old monster who needed help. And they were willing to give it.

Alphys took a steadying breath. "I. I hate Chara. I would . . . I would like nothing more than for them to suffer." Frisk flinched. Syrus held Frisk a bit tighter. "However . . . Chara is dead." She smiled bitterly. "So-So I can't j-just . . . get revenge or anything."

" **But I Could Rewind Time. Would You Want To Kill The Child? Chara Is Right There, After All.** "

Frisk muttered something next to Syrus. He looked at them. Their fist was trembling around their shield. Alphys looked as well as Frisk repeated their words again, louder this time. "I'm not . . ."

Alphys bit her lip. "What?" She asked quietly.

"I'm not . . . I'm NOT CHARA!" Frisk cried, throwing their shield aside. They lifted their head, determination blazing in their eyes despite the wetness there. "STOP. CALLING. ME. CHARA!" They yelled at Gaster. They gave a quick sob and shook their head before addressing Alphys. "I'm not Chara. Alphys, I-I'm sorry. I want to . . . I want to make up . . . for what I . . . what _we_ did." They swallowed as Alphys's jaw tightened against her emotions. "Please . . . I just want everyone to be happy. I can't . . . I can't change the past. I promise I won't. I promised. Please trust me." They begged.

Alphys didn't respond. Syrus could see the confliction in her eyes. Sans knew it well: the warring feeling of trust versus logic. Nobody could help her decide. Syrus himself had conflicting feelings about it. He didn't blame Frisk, but he resented them somewhat. Papyrus's easy forgiveness warred with Sans's own conflicting feelings. In the end, Syrus said nothing even as Alphys looked to him for help.

" **Frisk.** " Gaster murmured contemplatively. His form glitched violently, each piece of him seeming to want to go in separate directions. The void was collapsing as more and more of all of time and space exposed itself. Syrus tried not to let panic set in. The thought of being erased weighed on him. He wanted to get his friends out now. " **Frisk . . . Yes. The Seventh Human. The Savior. I . . . Remember Now.** "

Frisk looked at the monster, confused. Syrus puffed up a little. "Nobody can forget Frisk!" He announced.

" **But I Did.** " Gaster denied. " **Chara Is Dead. So Many Times . . . So Many Worlds . . . Existences . . . This Child Has Been 'Chara'. Named By Forces None Of You Can Comprehend. So Many Timelines That I, Too, Had Forgotten Who You Are, Frisk.** "

Frisk took a hesitant step forward. "Forces?" They asked. They sound like they had heard that term used before. Syrus wondered from where.

Gaster shook his head. " **No. It Is Better You Don't Know.** " He was melting faster, his glitches becoming worse. His voice was distorting harshly, unable to control its own pitch and speed. He looked like a computer crashing. " **When I Understood . . . I Had Lost Myself. Ignor-nor-nor-rance Is Bliss.** " He dragged out the word, sounding like a computer screeching. Syrus and his friends winced at the sound. Gaster looked down and away, staring at his own body. " **. . . Go. Perhapssssssss This Is My Fate-te-te. Ca Use D By My-My-My-My Hubris.** "

Syrus understood, then. Gaster had given up. He was letting them leave, conceding his fate to madness. Sans no longer wished to be fused. Exhaustion was setting in for himself. He and Papyrus were quick to separate, if a little reluctant. Sans was shaky on his feet as he reoriented himself to the dizziness of his mind and body. Frisk and Papyrus helped to steady him. At least this time Sans didn't feel like passing out.

"CAN'T WE HELP YOU?" Papyrus asked. "MAYBE WE CAN BRING YOU WITH US! WE CAN FIND ANOTHER WAY!" He said.

"We can't." Alphys whispered. There were tears in her eyes as she forced herself to look away. Sans himself scarcely had the stomach to watch this.

"the only thing holding him together is magic. and it won't hold much longer."

Frisk opened their mouth to suggest something, but then decided against it. Sans wasn't sure he wanted to know their suggestion. Maybe they had realized how pointless any other option was as well.

"BUT−"

"guys." Sans didn't say anything more. He tore his eyes away from Gaster long enough to give a look to both Papyrus and Alphys. Alphys squeezed her mouth shut and nodded, understanding. She grabbed Frisk's hand. Frisk gave her a confused look. Alphys stared at them and tugged the hand gently. The two of them started moving towards where a bridge appeared, connecting the island to the rest of the void. Already Undyne, Toriel, and Asgore were running across it to meet them. Frisk looked backwards to Sans, but Sans just smiled and nodded for them to go. Frisk didn't fight Alphys.

Sans turned back to Gaster then. The monster was hunched over, his hands covering his face. He was breaking and fading. The void would take him once again soon. Gratefulness for Sans's old mentor mixed with his pity. Sans closed his eyes. "pap." He murmured.

"SANS." Papyrus responded. His brother was dithering, not wanting to leave Sans alone. Sans knew that Papyrus understood Sans's command, and Sans understood Papyrus's reluctance to let Sans face this alone.

Sans patted his brother's arm and winked at him. "how 'bout tonight you 'n me make a big dinner. anything you want."

"ANYTHING?" Papryus asked, smiling back. The sympathy in his eye sockets caused the sorrow in Sans's chest to bubble.

"yeah."

"THEN. THEN I GUESS I'D BETTER GO START MAKING A LIST!" Papyrus turned and ran a couple steps before pausing. He turned back to Sans. "WE'LL WAIT FOR YOU RIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR!"

"yeah."

"DON'T BE LATE!"

"yeah."

"SANS, ARE YOU LISTENING?"

"i caught a _carpal_ of things." Sans winked. Papyrus made a disgusted noise and ran off then, leaving Gaster and Sans alone. Sans watched as Alphys and Papyrus ushered the others away and didn't turn back to face Gaster until they were all leaving.

Sans wasn't sure what he was feeling right at that moment. Pity was a good word for it, but he also felt absolutely empty. Maybe this is what a skeleton was supposed to feel like: hollowed out. He approached Gaster and paused about two feet away. Gaster looked up slowly. Bits of white and black rolled down his cheeks in thick droplets that looked like tears. Sans didn't want to acknowledge the possibility.

" **Y oU Sho-ould go.** " Gaster said. " **I Ca nN OT maI Ntain this-is-isssssss place.** "

Sans was quiet for a long moment. He shoved his shaking fists into his pockets. He needed to know. One final confirmation. "you'll go back to that place you showed me, right?"

" **YeeEEEss."** Gaster confirmed. His hand slipped off of his body and splattered against the ground before it disappeared in a fizzle of magic and static. The void was trembling.

"what then?" Sans asked. His magic built up within him. It was hard to convince it to take shape. Sans refused to acknowledge the pain in his ribs.

" **Not tHingggg**." The monster admitted. Half of his face was collapsed. Sans was reminded of one of those ancient Greek theatre masks. " **An D EVE rY THIng.** "

"doc . . ." Sans murmured. His eye flared to life as he closed his other one. "i've always wanted to say . . . i'm sorry."

" **I Know.** " Gaster smiled the best he could. " **Yo U Tri Ed Yo U R Be EESt. Sans, My . . ."** He left the end hanging. Sans understood. " **I Ho Pe Yo UUU AchI eVe** _ **Hipbone**_ **ss.** " He said instead.

Sans grinned. "yeah." Gaster's face relaxed with contentment as he closed his eyes. With the last of his magic, a doorway opened up behind Sans.

The blaster went off then, erasing what was left of Gaster's soul from existence, and Sans exited the closed space and entered into the arms of his waiting brother and friends.

* * *

 **A/N: For the record, if any of you want to just go on a long-ass rant, or give a play-by-play reaction, or just write a long review, seriously don't feel like it's a bother to me. (I see a lot of people apologizing for longer reviews. Seriously, don't apologize. I LOVE the long reviews!)**

 **And if you don't leave a long review, that's perfectly alright! But let me know what you think please!**


	22. It's Raining Somewhere Else Now

**A/N: This chapter marks the end of Through Hollow Eyes. It's been quite a trip! Thank you for everyone who has read and enjoyed this! With this last chapter, the end of DotPP is nigh!**

 **Time Marches Forward (Finally) is not quite over yet, so please continue to read that. I hope you enjoyed this story! It was certainly a trip writing Sans's thoughts and point of view.**

 _ **Slight Warning For Some Self-Harm Thoughts!**_

 **If you would like mood music, listen to "It's Raining Somewhere Else" while he's with the others, and then the slowed down version that plays in his lab when he's alone.**

* * *

Sans applied blue magic to the last heavy box of parts and hefted it into the air. It floated idly where he left it as he travelled over to the broom to sweep up any stray bits and pieces. The floor was soon clean of any type of debris, but it was still quite dirty. He mentally shrugged to himself about it. It was clean enough. He pulled the box towards himself and headed for the stairs when the door opened. Papyrus's familiar boot steps greeted Sans, so he paused and wait for his brother. Papyrus's own hands were full with rolled up posters and two boxes of his own.

"thanks bro. just put 'em over on the counter." Sans told him.

"IS THAT THE LAST BOX?" Papyrus asked as he did what Sans told him to. He placed everything on Sans's work counter before returning to his brother. He snatched the heavy box out of the air, content to hold it. Sans didn't release his magic on it though. He reached for the box himself, hesitated only briefly, and then actually took the box from Papyrus. His brother allowed him to. Sans clutched in close.

"yeah. only a couple more things to do after we load this up." Sans agreed. The two brothers travelled up the stairs together and outside to Papyrus's car. It would be a tight squeeze, but this was already the second trip Papyrus was making to transfer all of this junk to Alphys's other lab, so they made the effort to fit it all. They didn't have the spare money for a moving truck. Once the box was firmly and securely lodged in Papyrus's backseat, Sans took a step back. He stared at the overloaded vehicle and contemplated what he was feeling at that moment. Sans wasn't sure he knew. He looked off towards the city. He could see the discoloration as rain poured over there. Papyrus should be able to put up his convertible's hood before they reached there, if it was still raining.

Papyrus circled his car making clicking noises, drawing his brother's attention back. He didn't like how full his car was, but he wasn't going to complain to Sans. Papyrus was doing this as a favor for his brother, after all. "WELL! WHAT'S LEFT TO DO?" He asked.

Sans opened his mouth to respond when he spotted a familiar yellow figure headed their way. He lifted his hand in a lazy wave. Alphys hurried a little bit faster at the greeting until she joined them with a hello.

"W-Wow. I never realized how much stuff was here." She stated, her knowing eyes glancing a bit greedily at all of Sans's old stuff. She would find more use out of it in the coming days than Sans would. Even though a small part of him still rebelled at the thought of losing all of these items he'd had for so many years, he still thought the trade a pretty fair. Besides, favors sometimes were worth more. Especially considering his lack of items needed for the goal he was pursuing.

"yeah." Sans agreed with a short nod. "remember if you sell anything, i get half the profit."

Alphys shot Sans an amused look. "I know."

Papyrus threw himself into the driver's seat. "ARE WE READY TO GO, THEN?" He asked.

Alphys nodded. "We'll, um, be back for dinner right? Undyne and I have a . . . double date tonight with Asgore and−I MEAN. UNDYNE AND I HAVE A DATE!" She flustered and covered her face in mortification. Sans chuckled.

"THE KING HAS A DATE?! WITH WHO?" Papyrus asked, excited.

"N-N-Nobody!" Alphys hurried to squeeze herself into the front seat and waved her hand at Papyrus. "Nobody at-at all!"

"you guys go on ahead." Sans cut his brother off before he could make the poor scientist explode. Sometimes Alphys could be so terrible at keeping secrets. Sans had a feeling he knew who the old king was going on a date with, but he wasn't about to stick his metaphorical nose into it.

"YOU'RE NOT COMING?" Papyrus asked. He frowned. "WE WON'T BE DOING ALL OF THE WORK FOR YOU, BROTHER!"

"i'll follow on my bike." Sans assured him before Papyrus could go into a rant about Sans's laziness again. "meet you there."

Both Papyrus and Alphys gave him a worried look. Alphys bit her lip. "ARE YOU . . . SURE?" Papyrus questioned.

Sans closed his eyes, stuff his hands into his shorts pockets. "yeah. i'm sure."

"ALRIGHT THEN. WE'LL SEE YOU THERE!" Papyrus started up the car. It purred to life.

Before Papyrus pulled away, Alphys leaned out of the window and said, "Be careful please!"

Sans just gave her a wink before the car drove off. He watched them go, waiting until the car had disappeared around the corner of the street before he headed back inside. Radio was playing one of Mettaton's albums. It was the same song that Mettaton had sung at the concert when he had been in Ebott last. Papyrus had the music running at almost all hours of the day whenever Sans was home. Sans didn't really get it, but it helped to keep his head relatively clear so he allowed it. However now that Papyrus was gone, he decided to switch songs to something a little slower and jazzier. He turned up the volume enough so that he could hear the music well as he descended back into the basement.

It looked so much different now without the faulty time machine. Sans found that he wasn't sad to see it go. All of this time he had spent working on it until Frisk had told him it would never be fixed. Then after that, Sans hadn't dared to touch it. He could never muster up the courage needed to destroy what had been a part of his life for so long. And so it had sat like the shadow of a hanged man upon Sans's work and life. A false trophy for a life that never was.

Now, though, it was gone. The floor where it had stood was off-colored. Sans entertained the idea of tearing up the tiles there and replacing them. He could do that at a later date, just to make sure all reminders were removed. It was bad enough that even now this lab wasn't steady in his mind. Occasionally he saw himself moving around in it. The static increased. Sans focused on the music until it faded into the background again.

That had been happening a lot lately, although it was fading now. Papyrus had already confirmed for Sans that Sans was not the only one going through this problem. All of their friends on some level had experienced the void and had seen things that they were never meant to see. The only one spared from it had been Papyrus because they had been Syrus at the time. Papyrus, however, had experienced it somewhat through Sans. Sans was sure he had been hit with the worst of it, but Frisk was next in line. Toriel had told Sans what Frisk had told their parents: that Gaster exposing them to the void had violently triggered their flashbacks again. Sans hoped that by passing off his jacket he was helping the kid recover when he could not be there for them during this time.

His friends had been giving him space, which he appreciated. Sans, for those first few days, had not been in a good place. He had fallen apart almost as soon as he had arrived back home with his brother. Safe from prying eyes and from having to act, the shock of everything that had occurred had really started to kick in. Sans had wanted to hurry to his room, but his body felt horribly numb. His limbs seemed to lock up, unsure as to whether to support his weight or to let him crash to the ground. His vision had spun, greying on the edges. He only vaguely recalled Papyrus holding him. They never did have that dinner that night.

Afterwards Sans had retreated into himself. Sometimes he felt like he was fine, but bordering on the lines of hysteria. He tried to maintain a front for Papyrus, but his brother was quick to shove aside the flimsy wall Sans had tried to build. Other times Sans felt like he was having a Bad Day. He curled into himself and wished that he could cry just for the release of it all, but his body refused. He had wanted to hurt himself just to feel _something._ He felt like he should be punished. He had killed not only his mentor, but all of his old colleagues and friends. He was responsible for the deaths of dozens of people. He should be punished for it. But he couldn't imagine having Papyrus witness something like that, and Papyrus refused to leave Sans's side. So Sans didn't touch himself no matter how often he convinced himself it was a good idea. He couldn't stop thinking about everything. He didn't want to remember anymore.

" _DON'T LOOK BACK."_ Papyrus had told him. _"LOOK AT ME INSTEAD! AFTER ALL, I'M RIGHT HERE WITH YOU! LET'S TALK ABOUT THE FUTURE INSTEAD!"_

That had left him to talk with Papyrus. They didn't really talk about what had happened in the void. Sans didn't know if his brother just understood that Sans wasn't quite ready to talk about it or what, but he was glad he wasn't pushed to confront his trauma yet. That would come with time. There was a silent agreement between the brothers that they would talk about it, just not then. So instead they actually did start to talk about the future. Papyrus had confessed to Sans that he had the idea to possibly go off to school again.

" _I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT TO DO YET, BUT I WANT TO HELP PEOPLE. I THINK I SAW SOMETHING ON TELEVISION ABOUT, WHAT WAS IT? A PHYSICAL THERAPIST! HELPING PEOPLE THROUGH EXERCISE! THAT SOUNDS FUN!"_ Papyrus had said.

It made Sans consider his own future now that all of this was over. The more recent weeks had kept Sans afloat dealing with Gaster . . . but now Gaster was gone and over with. Sans would have to . . . find something else to do now.

Sans shook himself out of his thoughts. The album had gone through two songs while he had been reminiscing. Great. He walked over to his work table and climb on top of it, lifting out posters and flipping them open. He started to apply the star charts to some of the cork boards he had nearby as he pressed the power button on the top of his large screen. He hopped off of the counter then as the computer screen slowly came on and displayed the galaxy that a nearby observatory was pointed at. The image calmed him and at the same time sent his mind racing. What was this particular galaxy? Why did it have those colors? He wanted to know.

This was well worth all of the stuff he had traded Alphys.

Sans took his time redecorating the lab. He set up his telescope nearby (the very same one he had pranked multiple people –including Frisk− with over the years) despite not needing to, and positioned his couch so that he could sit on it and stare at the computer monitor. He took his time carefully arranging plastic glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling to match some of his and Papyrus's favorite constellations. When he was finished, he stepped back and admired the new room. It looked completely different with everything unpacked. Already Sans had a mess of trash and boxes in the corner, making the hobbyist lab feel cozier.

There was one final thing Sans had left to do. He went back over to the work counter and shoved his rolling chair aside. It slid lazily across the room, bumping into the low-hanging model solar system Papyrus had commissioned Frisk to make for Sans while they were in art at school for Adult Day. Sans couldn't wait for Frisk to see how the place looked now. He pulled out a piece of paper with a single photo attached to it. The rest of the album was long gone either taken or destroyed by Alphys, Sans didn't know. All he had left were these two items.

The picture of all of his smiling colleagues greeted Sans, frozen in time by the shutter of a camera. It all had happened so long ago in Sans's timeline-corrupted mind that Sans couldn't even recall the day this was taken. How many RESETs had he gone through since then? Why had they taken a group shot like this? Sans vaguely recalled that perhaps it was the final day for one of their co-workers? He just couldn't really remember.

The paper had a crudely drawn picture on it. It had been made by Papyrus and it was a drawing of the two brothers with Gaster. Papyrus had thought it was an appropriate drawing to mark the occasion, even though his art skills weren't really up to par. It had been Sans's first birthday they celebrated on Adult Day. The drawing was faded by now, the crayons not aging too well. Written in the corner in Sans's own ink were the words "Don't Forget". He had added them himself not long after Gaster had been erased. Some parts of the paper were watermarked from tears. The paper was torn in the corner from being handled so much.

Sans felt numb again staring at these items. He ran the tip of his finger over the faces in the pictures as he took a deep breath. Then he reached into his pocket and grabbed the item there. His hands trembled minutely.

"don't look back." He whispered to himself. He pulled the lighter out of his pocket and flicked it on before he held the flame to the edges of the paper and photograph. His throat was thick as the scent of burning filled his senses and the paper burned. If his fingers were somewhat singed in the process, the pain didn't register. When the ash all fell to the counter top, he stared at it blankly for a long moment before he began to sweep into the trash. He then mechanically took out the mostly-empty trash bag and threw it away in the main trash outside. He moved on autopilot to replace the trashcan with a new bag. He then spent a full song washing his hands.

Sans looked back up at the large screen displaying the unknown galaxy. They had switched the view to infrared when he hadn't been looking. The colors popped even more now. Sans stared, wishing he knew why the galaxy looked that way. He wanted to know. He couldn't wait to find out.

Sans realized he had forgotten one final thing on his to-do list. He took the shortcut in the corner of his room (and tried to ignore the way his body automatically tensed in expectation of something) to enter his bedroom. Hot Cat yawned at his entrance, glaring sulkily at him as he reached into his sock drawer for something. The cat still wasn't happy that it couldn't seem to figure out how to go through the shortcuts.

Sans returned through the shortcut to the lab where he tucked the new photograph he had onto the corner of the computer screen. It was a picture taken on Frisk's birthday, the whole group of them smiling and posing in silly ways for the camera. Frisk had the largest smile on their face that Sans had ever seen. It was one of the few images that had a true smile from Sans as well, even if on that day he had been a bit bitter towards Frisk. It was a good image to keep there.

He stepped back then and took one last look at the room before he ascended the stairs again and shut the door to his lab. He stepped outside and looked again towards the sky. It was overcast, but it didn't quite look like it would rain. Sans hoped it would clear up so he could go stargazing. Meanwhile, he'd better get going before Papyrus became too impatient.


End file.
